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Message: <blockquote data-quote="cr0m" data-source="post: 4391937" data-attributes="member: 55932">My main advice to a new DM is start small. You already have enough of a "big picture" for your game. Followers of a dead god to resurrect/rescue and the followers of a god who opposes them. And you have an idea of how the dead God gets brought back to life: using a relic.Obviously the relic is going to be important. Also important is hooking your players into the game. The "people on a pilgrimage" idea rocks, but rather than play mercenaries hired to guard a pilgrimage, ask the players to make characters on a pilgrimage--including why completing this pilgrimage is so important to them. Maybe they've got a sick sister. Maybe they swore an oath. Maybe they're the last of the dead God's order, fulfilling their duty to protect the pilgrims.Here's what I'd do. The pilgrims are moving the relic from one shrine to another, like they do every seven years. Normally this is just fairly dangerous, what with the usual hazards of the road. But this year was different.The priest of the shrine woke up after a prophetic dream insisting that the pilgrims leave NOW. They're not prepared: they don't have all their supplies, they don't have a mercenary guard, they don't even have all the pilgrims yet. But the priest orders them to go, quickly, and not to take the usual, direct route.Naturally the bad guys show up, put the shrine to the torch, torture the priest, etc, a few days after the party leaves. Now they're on the run, alone, with bad guys on their tail.Basically, it's Firefly. Throw obstacles in their way. A pass through the mountains held by trolls. A forest full of bandits. A war between two barons. Or more subtle things: a border crossing run by a PC's old buddy (aka the Lando). A village under the rule of an evil gang. They can either pay the toll and move along, or help the people. They need supplies to get across the desert, but they're out of gold. Suspicious elves refuse to let them leave their kingdom once they trespass on it. And of course: the only way through is that there dungeon!For the first adventure, I'd just make it a race. There are bad guys right behind them and they need to get to a river crossing first. There's only one ferry, and if the bad guys miss it, they have to go the long way around, so they're have a few days head start. Start with a messenger from the shrine they just left, and a gang of bad guys right behind him. Fight! Then Run!</blockquote>

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