DM's: How much is enough/too much?

[Major Moab]

My gaming group and I were discussing the potential running of Mage: the Awakening, and, since I am the most familiar with the setting and mechanics, I am the volunteered Storyteller. So I have been thinking about it.
And the biggest thing I have realized is that I haven't really run a game since 1994.
I have several ideas for "episodes," and I think a solid idea for a "season." I'm using those terms since I feel that campaign/adventure doesn't really suit the tone of Mage the way they do in D&D.
I am unsure however, how much detail I should put into each episode. I am trying to build the season on a chronological storyline, rather than a physical one, and I don't want to waste 25 hours on a plot point that will go completely unnoticed, or spend 20 minutes on a project that deserved far more attention than I gave it.

So to the Storytellers/DM's out there:
How much detail do you give each NPC? The primary NPC of an adventure?
Are red herrings and Chekov's gun an effective idea? Are they a waste of detail oriented time?
Should I build a schedule of events detailed to the month, week, day, or hour? Possibly build a time map of events if the players don't get involved, and improvise when they do?
What is the key in your mind of building a grade "A" Top choice adventure?
And most importantly, to me, how do you keep player's emotionally invested in their characters?

None of the questions are meant in mechanical sense. I am asking more about Theory of DM'ing, 101.

 

[Doug McCrae]

Be careful about spending a lot of precious time on background material the players may never see. Only do that if you enjoy working on it and have plenty of free time.

Otherwise focus on content that will immediately engage the player characters, and players. Ryan Stoughton has a system for this he calls TRAPS, designed to maximise limited prep time. It may be of use to you, though it's more appropriate for D&D than Mage. As a general rule, you should focus your prep on details you find difficult to improvise.

Personally I would create a world with some interesting NPCs and conflicts, then connect the PCs with those conflicts thru plot hooks. Or vice versa, you can create material specifically to interact with a particular PC or PCs. Pay more attention to important NPCs. Create a reasonable number of plot hooks in case the PCs don't bite one. As to Chekov's gun, I think false foreshadowing is fine in an rpg. I actually use backwards foreshadowing - I just throw out a bunch of stuff, then I connect later campaign events to earlier ones. I don't care if a gun shown in Act I is undischarged by Act III.

But that's advice for a fairly unstructured campaign, you may well want something more structured.

 

[MortonStromgal]

First I make relation ship maps with 8-25 npcs, with their goals, motivations, how they feel about other npcs etc, i worry less about stats but i give them a social, combat, and mental threat rating of 1-5.

I write down three things that will happen for tonight game and just insert event when I feel its a good time for it to happen. The PCs may or may not be involved with the event. Like an earthquake or a painting is stolen. The PCs involve themselves where they want to while the npc motivations move around along with other factors. What comes out is our game. For example NPC bob may want to destroy npc teds wealth so he arranges to steal some priceless art from teds place, if the PCs happen to find out about it or be there when it happens great, if not they will hear of the theft and then ted may offer some money for the thief to be brought to justice, now its up to the PCs if they want to follow that story or move on to something else. As you build out the npcs they start to become wheels within wheels so eventually something they may do for jessica may actually help bob ruin ted.