New DM + Homebrew Campaign = Any Advice?

[ArtofSymmetry]

As stated in the above math equation, I am a New DM with no prior experience. I am also an ambitious moron who wants to create his own homebrew campaign. I already have the world and some flavor-ish stuff made up for the campaign. I have also made a rough prologue for the players, to assess their individual skills. Now, I would like some advice from the wonderful world of ENWorld.
- Any advice for creating a general plot? Now that the characters are released into the world, I just have a few mini-plots and events but no central Game Shaking Idea

- Any DMing Advice. Doesn't matter if I make the best campaign in the world if i'm a crappy dm.

- What information should I include in an adventurer overview. Just to make sure I missed nothing.

- What are things as a Player, or a DM that you've always wanted to see or do in a campaign but never could/got around to.

Here's some Information about the World/Idea
-Sort of Greece/Roman/Steampunk. I have designed a romanesque Empire in the northern part of the world. I also made some city states around a lake like greece. And far south there is some shadowy abandoned city that is pretty steampunk.

-On the Steampunk note. I was thinking about the world being post-apocalyptic. Like the Einstein Quote "I know not what weapons world war three will be fought with, the ww4 will be fought with sticks and stones. Thought that the world could have been developing similar to ours, and had reached the steampunk era sort of thing. But then something happened, possibly the Shadowfell elipsed the Mortal World for a few seconds and caused some sort of cataclysm, and the only remaining city from that era is an abandoned and cursed place of shadow (Called The Falarie). I have an interesting plot where the characters find an Airship and escape the city. There is an Air Fight as well while the characters make their way back to the city of origin for this quest.

-There's an Archipelago that was blasted into existence from the Feywild. It is sort of Tropical, Sub-tropical, and there is only one town of Feywilders who subject themselves to trade with the outside world.

-Events pass in such a way, that if the Player Characters are not there for the event, it passes as the DM or the Campaign Dictates. So, If an Alonecian (Roman-esque Empire) Prison was attacked by Orcs, the DM or Campaign decides if it stands or falls. If the PC's are at the Prison at the time of the Attack, their actions dictate the outcome. The fun part is if they lose, they initiate an Escape Sequence (Haven't thought much on how to do this so asking wouldn't get too much info), so they get out alive.

-The world is pretty open ended, but the DM gives really strong incentives to go where he wants them to go. For example, after you get out of the Prologues area, if you helped a wizard character escape he'll have a reward for you if you go to his city. But when you arrive there, News comes from Alonec that the Ambassador of that city was assassinated, and smelling something afoot, the wizard tries to enlist the PC's to act as ambassadors to unmask the assassins and their contracter which will initiate a political sub-plot. But the PC's never really have help the wizard escape, or go collect his reward, or even take the quest. But there are strong plot, character, and reward incentives to do so.

I'm sorry, I know this might be a lot to read. But I think you need some information to give any advice. If anything else is needed to toss your Idea my way then ask. Also, if any of you find you like these Ideas feel free to use them. Thank you.

 

[Kzach]

I have two suggestions for you.

1) Run it like a points of light campaign where the PC's know virtually nothing outside of their little village or town. That way you won't get annoying players asking about every tiny bit of setting information every second and whining about how it's all lame and unfair and blah, blah, blah.

2) Don't do it until you've got at least a campaign folder filled of precise, concise information that you can share with the players that defines the setting and answers most of their annoying questions.

 

[ArtofSymmetry]

As stated in the above math equation, I am a New DM with no prior experience. I am also an ambitious moron who wants to create his own homebrew campaign. I already have the world and some flavor-ish stuff made up for the campaign. I have also made a rough prologue for the players, to assess their individual skills. Now, I would like some advice from the wonderful world of ENWorld.
- Any advice for creating a general plot? Now that the characters are released into the world, I just have a few mini-plots and events but no central Game Shaking Idea

- Any DMing Advice. Doesn't matter if I make the best campaign in the world if i'm a crappy dm.

- What information should I include in an adventurer overview. Just to make sure I missed nothing.

- What are things as a Player, or a DM that you've always wanted to see or do in a campaign but never could/got around to.

Here's some Information about the World/Idea
-Sort of Greece/Roman/Steampunk. I have designed a romanesque Empire in the northern part of the world. I also made some city states around a lake like greece. And far south there is some shadowy abandoned city that is pretty steampunk.

-On the Steampunk note. I was thinking about the world being post-apocalyptic. Like the Einstein Quote "I know not what weapons world war three will be fought with, the ww4 will be fought with sticks and stones. Thought that the world could have been developing similar to ours, and had reached the steampunk era sort of thing. But then something happened, possibly the Shadowfell elipsed the Mortal World for a few seconds and caused some sort of cataclysm, and the only remaining city from that era is an abandoned and cursed place of shadow (Called The Falarie). I have an interesting plot where the characters find an Airship and escape the city. There is an Air Fight as well while the characters make their way back to the city of origin for this quest.

-There's an Archipelago that was blasted into existence from the Feywild. It is sort of Tropical, Sub-tropical, and there is only one town of Feywilders who subject themselves to trade with the outside world.

-Events pass in such a way, that if the Player Characters are not there for the event, it passes as the DM or the Campaign Dictates. So, If an Alonecian (Roman-esque Empire) Prison was attacked by Orcs, the DM or Campaign decides if it stands or falls. If the PC's are at the Prison at the time of the Attack, their actions dictate the outcome. The fun part is if they lose, they initiate an Escape Sequence (Haven't thought much on how to do this so asking wouldn't get too much info), so they get out alive.

-The world is pretty open ended, but the DM gives really strong incentives to go where he wants them to go. For example, after you get out of the Prologues area, if you helped a wizard character escape he'll have a reward for you if you go to his city. But when you arrive there, News comes from Alonec that the Ambassador of that city was assassinated, and smelling something afoot, the wizard tries to enlist the PC's to act as ambassadors to unmask the assassins and their contracter which will initiate a political sub-plot. But the PC's never really have help the wizard escape, or go collect his reward, or even take the quest. But there are strong plot, character, and reward incentives to do so.

I'm sorry, I know this might be a lot to read. But I think you need some information to give any advice. If anything else is needed to toss your Idea my way then ask. Also, if any of you find you like these Ideas feel free to use them. Thank you.

EDIT: Since I didn't want to make a new post I'll say it here. I like your suggestions Kzach, It'll save me a lot of headache. Only mod is that they start in a prison, and their group forms after they escape. Actually after this paragraph I'll post the prologue concept.
Also, something else I forgot, The characters receive news one of two ways. Divination Rituals from the resident ritual casters, or when they come to a town or city. The amount of news they receive is decided by the size and remoteness of the city.

-The Prologue is set in such a way as to have more problem solving than fighting. Each character starts in a different cell with different occupants, each with ways to get out of their cell, and essentially they have to plan an escape from the prison. They can only converse with each other when they are all escaped from their cells, or when they get courtyard time. There are three escape routes. This is to gauge each player, to see which ones will try to initiate combat and which ones are thinkers and such.

EDIT EDIT: Oops I hit quote not edit......

 

[Kalbutt]

-The Prologue is set in such a way as to have more problem solving than fighting. Each character starts in a different cell with different occupants, each with ways to get out of their cell, and essentially they have to plan an escape from the prison. They can only converse with each other when they are all escaped from their cells, or when they get courtyard time. There are three escape routes. This is to gauge each player, to see which ones will try to initiate combat and which ones are thinkers and such.

I think an unwritten rule somewhere says 'Do not split the party'.
That increases downtime for players while you are roleplaying for only one character and can cause boredom.
IMHO, since it is the beginning of your adventure, the players should be thrown into action together asap, so they get involved in your story quickly.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Smeelbo]

If you have never DMed before, I strongly recommend the first two chapters of the 4E DMG, which are a refinement of the 3.5 DMG II.

Second, although being prepared is best, it's hard to prepare for everything. Often, the speed of a decision is more important than its quality. You appear to have a very strong image of your world in mind: rely on it. Treat your world almost like a character, and ask yourself, what would happen now? With a clear world in mind, you should be able to decide fairly quickly what happens in a consistant fashion, without constantly referring to notes.

The points of light suggestion at the top is a very good idea. Keep a few steps ahead of the characters, and all will be well enough.

Observe the players and notice what is working and what is not. Don't be so enamored of your own ideas that you are essentially shovelling it down their throats.

Lastly, be prepared to say "Yes." You want characters to be engaged in your world, to give it their best effort. If you say "No" too often, they will lose interest. Of course, you're going to challenge them, and it's not supposed to be easy, but if the issue in contention isn't central to the plot, and it helps advance the story a bit, and isn't overpowered, just say "Yes."

Smeelbo

 

[ArtofSymmetry]

Excellent Feedback you guys. And the good news is this time I hit the right button . I'll be sure to revamp the prison so the characters start a little less seperated and get together faster.

I'll be sure to take all your guyses advice, Every bit helps!

 

[Vermonter]

I agree with the advise above. You don't need to get into a lot of backstory to start the campaign. Fill in the details as you go and the players explore.

Regarding the start-up, if you have an opportunity to meet with the players individually ahead of time you could help them finish development of the characters and then roleplay the beginning of their prison escape. Otherwise, don't start the campaign with a bunch of people sitting around the table waiting turns to get started. My suggestion is starting the campaign at th point where they are all together, you can tell the story of how they each got to that point from separate places if necessary.

Ideally follow-up quickly with a chance to roll initiative. Make the first encounter an easy one, without know each other's abilities they'll make it tougher on themselves than they will find subsequent combats.

 

[On Puget Sound]

Your notion of having optional plot hooks that the players are free to ignore is a mixed bag.

"You hear that the town has been plagued by bandits lately."
"That's nice...is there a magic shop here? I want to buy a sword."
"No, there are no magic items for sale due to the bandit activity."
"Bummer. Then I want to find a wizard who can enchant me a sword.""Hmm...OK, make a Streetwise check....You fail to find any wizards. Maybe they are all hiding from the bandits I spent 16 hours designing..."
"No wizards, huh? OK, I try to find a thieves' guild; they always know where to get magical things if the price is right.""sigh...OK. You spend several hours trudging through the rain-drenched streets chatting up lowlifes, but no one takes you into their confidence. They are too worried about the BANDITS."
"Well there has to be a thieves' guild somewhere; there always is. Hey, you said it was raining?"
"<grrrrrr> Yes. A torrential downpour."
"Are the streets flooded?"
"No, the water is running down the sewer drains."
"AHA! There's a sewer. That's where we'll find the thieves' guild. We pry the drain open and climb down."
"But I haven't designed....uh, OK...."

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

I agree with the advise above. You don't need to get into a lot of backstory to start the campaign. Fill in the details as you go and the players explore.

Regarding the start-up, if you have an opportunity to meet with the players individually ahead of time you could help them finish development of the characters and then roleplay the beginning of their prison escape. Otherwise, don't start the campaign with a bunch of people sitting around the table waiting turns to get started. My suggestion is starting the campaign at th point where they are all together, you can tell the story of how they each got to that point from separate places if necessary.

Ideally follow-up quickly with a chance to roll initiative. Make the first encounter an easy one, without know each other's abilities they'll make it tougher on themselves than they will find subsequent combats.

Yup, been DMing since the 70's and that would be exactly how I would handle it. I think the concept of starting them in jail is a good one because it gives them the incentive to get out of dodge pretty quickly. IF you can get together with each player a bit before the first gaming session then you can play out having the PCs talking to cell mates, sussing out the guards, etc. If there is anyone whom you can't do this with, then just provide them with a short written description of what they have found out about the prison etc. so they aren't behind everyone else.

I would consider making the initial prison break and run from the city into a skill challenge. Take a look in the 4e fan creations, there is an "Obsidian Skill Challenge" system thread. Even if you don't want to use that system it has an excellent set of ideas that will make skill challenges work better. If you use the DMG skill challenge system then get the DMG errata. They have really revamped skill challenges (the original DMG system is just plain broken).

You could use something like three skill challenges, each punctuated by a combat. Escaping the cells would be first. If the PCs fail they still get out but then they have to fight some guards.

If they succeed in the first challenge they can get out into the city ahead of the guards and that challenge can involve them running from or hiding from the authorities. Failure would maybe provoke another melee or cause them to miss hooking up with a potential contact.

And the third part could be more of an overland challenge revolving around avoiding patrols etc. or it could involve sneaking around the city to find someone that will get them out without a fight (and the fight can happen if they fail here).

I like doing things in 3's. Like the structure of a 3 act play. It isn't a hard rule, but it is a pretty well tested dramatic technique that works well in RPG adventures. Exactly what the three elements are is flexible, but they generally involve time and movement. So a dungeon adventure might break down into an opening phase where the party learns of the dungeon, figures out where it is, and travels there (3 sub elements), the middle would consist of dungeon crawling with perhaps again 3 main encounters/challenges, and the final part might consist of coming to grips with the big boss.

Of course you will always have that problem of 'the pcs just don't do what you thought they would', but I see it as an opportunity generally. If the PCs don't bother with the dungeon, then its inhabitants can become a big threat that they have to deal with later. If the party avoids fighting the big boss, then again that boss is likely to become more of a threat, or combine with other threats later on to make the character's job just that much harder.

And in the case of world design, it is good to have a pretty decent idea of what the lay of the land is, but there should always be quite a few 'blank spots' around on the map, so to speak. Some things can also be left a bit vague. That way later on you'll have some great idea, but if everything is tightly knit together it might be hard to fit it in.

 

[ArtofSymmetry]

Good, thanks for the input. Abdul, I definitely plan on using the skill challenge idea, and I will try to start with each player individually so there isn't as much down time (If I end up having each player seperated after the revisions are done).
But the plot hook problem can be solved easily enough, (In that situation)

"You hear that the town has been plagued by bandits lately."
"That's nice...is there a magic shop here? I want to buy a sword."
"No, there are no magic items for sale due to the bandit activity."
"Bummer. Then I want to find a wizard who can enchant me a sword."
"You make a streetwise check. And you fail to find any wizards."
Just then, a building goes up in flames, and bandits swarm out of the forest and into the town.
The adventurer's destroy the bandits (Some escape) and save the village in the proceeding combat
"Great, time to find my wizard/Thieves' Guild"
"Your streewise check reveals that the escapee bandits kidnapped the wizard/head of the thieves' guild." (The head of the thieves' guild was using the sword, and they'll reward you with it if you retrieve him.) Now there is a side quest on this adventure, to get his sword.

But then there's the chance that two players are whining, in that case I'll probably have to invoke the sacred rights of the DM to ask them to be patient, he'll get his item.