dfg1
Certainly -- I have no objection, although for everything to make sense they 
would have to see the OPERATION VINDICATOR scenario book that I did, which would 
only really be useful after release of the revised INT and LEV rules.
However, I can give you a synopsis here tonight in the interim...
OK.  Underlying assumptions first: as we've said before, TOG's fleet 
outnumbers that of the RL/CW by 10-1.  After deductions for internal security and 
the K-R front, over all superiority is about 3-1.
At present, the Commonwealth War is allowed to stagnate for internal TOG 
political reasons -- without an external threat, dictatorship is harder to 
justify, etc.  Within TOG are various Overlords-at-Large, all maneuvering for the 
throne should (or when) Caesar dies.
However, there is considerable dissent within certain elements of the TOG 
Navy, which the shabby fate of the KRAKEN Squadron highlights.  Add to this an 
only nominally-allied Naram Republic relatively near to the Commonwealth Front, 
and there is potential for real trouble. 
Within the CW's highest leadership, the long-term futility of the war is well 
understood.  This has led to factions appearing: one holding for a continued 
defense, and the other (largely the RL and supporters) advocating an offensive.  

Kannik Ah... so both sides show split... nice...

dfg1 So, the ingredients are in place for VINDICATOR:  Main characters are TOG 
Grand Admiral Piter De Vries, CW Admiral Jenin Curtois, RL General Anthony Biders, 
and CW Intelligence head Josef Kintara.
De Vries, working under Aldron Mannius, has been given a relatively free hand 
to deal with the CW after the KRAKEN episode.  Mannius sees this as a way to make 
himself look good and position himself for a power struggle someday.  De Vries has 
his own ideas, and has established surreptitious contacts with CW leadership.
The plan: After making himself look good by beating on the CW front line, De 
Vries will make a bid for power himself.  The tradeoff is that as he moves on 
Terra, the CW leaves his rear alone while retaking most or all of their lost 
territory "in the confusion".  
This plan is not approved by all CW leaders, though.  Kintara feels that De 
Vries has no chance to win -- and moreover, doesn't trust the RL as an independent 
force, since they considerably outnumber the CW and have their own agenda, which 
doesn't fit in with his or that of his aristocratic allies. 
Kintara's plan:  Let De Vries do his thing, but make certain that the RL takes 
the brunt of the losses during all phases of the plan while making sure that CW 
forces remain intact, so that when the great readjustment comes, the RL will have 
to take the role of "best sword" rather than stronger partners in an alliance.

Kannik Kannik absorbs all this with great interest... }:)

dfg1  Now for the next level down: Curtois, a Naram, is aware of De Vries' plan but 
doesn't trust it or him -- she goes along reluctantly, causing clashes with the 
gung-ho Biders, who doesn't realize that all of the fighting in De Vries' big 
offensive is effectively a sham and reacts to it as though it were serious.
Not too Byzantine yet, I hope...

Kannik -laugh-  No no, not at all...

dfg1 After several clashes, Curtois allows herself to be taken 
prisoner by De Vries 
to ascertain his intentions, or to kill him as needed (a'la Zenobia of Palmyra -- 
always knew that an honors in history would come in handy someday!) Various 
complications ensue, at the end of which Curtois has agreed to cooperate with De 
Vries and has warned Biders of Kintara's secret agenda.  VINDICATOR ends with De 
Vries receiving a Warlordship from Mannius, who has d
With me so far?

Kannik Errr... the last one there got cut off...

dfg1 At what point?

Kannik who has d

dfg1 ... decided that De Vries is just the weapon needed to move against Caesar in 
the relatively near future. 
My original plan was to do another scenario book to get from this point to the 
start of the Civil Wars.  Never had time to write it, but I had a fairly detailed 
outline done and had written some of the connecting scenes already.  Details 
follow:
As Warlord of the Orion District, De Vries amasses forces for what is billed 
as a "Final Offensive" against the CW Front, but is delaying and waiting for an 
opportunity to strike.  Mannius is unhappy, but is also waiting, for the word is 
out that Caesar is very ill and has been successfully hiding it up until now.  
Meanwhile, Curtois has been acting as go-between with the Naram Republic to get 
them on De Vries' side.
TOG also has a new problem on the K-R Front, forcing Caesar to recall Grand 
Admiral Flavius Marcellus, the "Sword of New Rome", whom he retired because of his 
inflexibility and super-Roman attitude.  Marcellus is sent off to the front with a 
large fleet of his own, and is also aware of Caesar's condition.
Lastly, CW/RL relations have cooled noticeably after Biders finds evidence of 
Kintara's plotting, but Regent Lukanther keeps them in line with considerable 
difficulty.  All of these threads coalesce when Caesar dies without warning; the 
Overlords are scrambling to murder each other.
De Vries allows enough of this to go on for his men to appreciate what scum 
they work for, finally allowing Mannius to be killed by one of his competitors and 
raising the standard of revolt.  His announced goal is to restore the Republic; 
the Naram rise in sympathy as well, while the CW/RL do their part as planned.
Faced with this combination of threats, Marcellus declares himself Imperial 
Warlord and intends to fight with great vigor.  This doesn't sit so well with his 
two main competitors, but at least initially they cooperate for the common good of 
TOG.  Ultimately, however, only one man can stand on the mountain -- and it's here 
that the Civil Wars game begins.

Kannik I like I like I like... TOG factionalism could be very cool... though the 
  faction that controls the space close to the CW border has the worst deal of all...

dfg1 Still with me?
The game is set up for up to 6 players: CW/RL, K-R, Republican/Naram, and 3 
TOG players. Each has its own victory conditions, which may require a greater or 
lesser degree of cooperation (especially for TOG).  The "TOG Faction" closest to 
the CW border in this case are the ex-TOG Republicans, whose territory adjoins the 
Naram Republic.
Anyway, the point of all this is to create a situation that is highly fluid 
both politically and militarily -- and, for those who are LEGIONNAIRE players, to 
give a much greater scope for adventures.
At any rate, that's the short version.  Feel free to circulate or condense as 
needed -- and, once INT and LEV are up on your site, VINDICATOR can follow.  It 
was written pre-rules changes, so the scenarios will have to be rewritten 
somewhat; however, if you want, I can DCC the file to you so that you can have 
first crack at reading the story in more detail.