Here's what I sent out to my players a couple days ago as the first part of an intro to a new campaign (Eberron), just to be clear about some expectations for the campaign:
GENERAL COMMENTS:
These are just some general observations and comments about the campaign in general (in no particular order), which you should keep in mind while creating characters and at the table while gaming. If you have questions about anything listed here, please email me about it:
(1) This will be a heroic campaign of swashbuckling, cinematic, larger-than-life adventures, but not in simplistic black-and-white terms. Expect many shades of gray, even if some shades are darker than others. There will be times to kick the door in and some subsequent monster butt, but there will also be times for diplomacy, intrigue, and discovering major rifts between appearance and reality. Combat will only be one (if admittedly important) segment of the game.
(2) This is not a campaign of huge, overarching epic plots. Such plots often take too long to come to fruition. I will be focusing on shorter, episodic plot arcs, and even though a larger overall plot may emerge, it will emerge through the players' actions (most likely when/if you piss off some important figures enough for them to spend time making your lives hell!) and not through a preconceived plan of mine. Don't worry about long-term DM expectations and messing up my big plans. I won't have any (though some of my NPCs might).
(3) In keeping with (2), this will be a player/PC-driven campaign. There will usually be a number of options for the PCs to follow and it will be up to them to decide what road to go down, not for me to push them down one. If you decide to go looking for an artifact which will let you take over every kingdom in Khorvaire and unite the continent in a peace lasting a million years, cool. If you want to go chase the bandits who looted the local wagon train, also cool. If you want to stay in the tavern and get drunk, still cool (albeit a little boring!).
(4) In keeping with (2) and (3), there will often be substantial down-time in the campaign, ranging from a day or two to months on end. This will allow individual PCs to do things on their own time too, although they may choose to involve the other PCs. On the rules end, taking time for item creation will be easy in this campaign and PCs with abilities in that area (esp. artificers) will get more than enough opportunity to indulge in and benefit from them.
(5) This is a group game. When creating a character, do not create lonely, brooding "lone wolf" characters who do not get along with others and have no in-character reason for (a) working with the other PCs, and (b) having the other PCs want him along. Your PC doesn't have to play nice, but she should at least be able to play in the group. Even if I do allow a "lone wolf" type (which is unlikely), it will be completely within the rights of the other PCs to not want your PC along. The other PCs do not have to work with yours just because he is a PC.
(6) You are free to do anything you want in the game. You are not bound by alignment (actions make alignment, not the other way around) or my expectations. But there will be plausible ramifications to every action. Don't expect to be able to kick the captain of the King's Guards in the crotch and walk away (see (6) below) or steal from your comrades and have the DM step in when they decide to either throw you out (see (5) above) or cut your nose off.
(7) As we have already discovered, dead PCs make players unhappy. Plus they are hard to get attached to. With the existence of action points in the game and a lowering of the lethality from my previous campaign, death should not be a major fear for your PCs (imprisonment, embarrassment, mutilation and painful social diseases are another matter). But that does not mean your PC is invulnerable. Stupidity can still be terminal.
(8) Since the lethality of the campaign will be much lower, I seriously encourage you to try to get creative in combat. NPCs will do the same and you may be handicapped if you do not do so. The fact that you have action points will also make it easier to be creative. "I hit AC 23 and do 17 pts of damage" - yawn. "I slide down the bannister and leap sword-first onto the evil so-and-so" - cool! Buckle those swashes and buckle them good.
(9) Though the campaign is set in the Eberron Campaign Setting (ECS), it is my ECS, which is not necessarily the same as the printed version. Institutions, NPCs, geography, history, basic rules, etc. may all be different in this game. A simple example is that I am not using the kalashtar race, though it is listed in the ECS. Unless your PC specifically knows something as a fact (Knowledge skills will be important in this campaign), don't assume that it's true just because it's in the book. This is also true of any book that I may use, esp. monster books. Don't assume that because I use a beholder it has the same stats as in the MM. If your PC has the appropriate Knowledge skill or experience then you will know things about the creature, but your player knowledge will mostly be irrelevant, and should not affect in-game actions anyway. Metagaming will hurt you more than it will hurt the opposition.
(10) The campaign setting is almost as new to me as it is to you. So I expect a little indulgence on your part when it comes to my handling of campaign info. I will try to waste as little time as possible at the table and hopefully not have to stop to check things up too often, or preferably, at all, but it may happen.
(11) Everything in the game happens for a reason. It may not be a reason that your PC is (or you as the player are) privy to, but all you have to do is find a way to discover that information. If something occurs that seems out of kilter to you, ask me. It may be because I forgot something, in which case I will thank you. It may also be because I'm a sadistic bastard and I have a plan to screw the PCs over, in which case I will thank you and smile.
(12) Many standard fantasy/D&D tropes won't apply here and it would be a good idea to leave preconceptions at the door. A few which come to mind: Eberron is a renaissance setting, not the standard D&D pseudo-medieval one, and magic functions in many ways like technology here. Alignment is much less important for character-to-character interaction than is commonly perceived. Race does not make character (thinking every dwarf is short, gruff, hardworking and alcoholic will get you kicked in the nether regions). NPCs have just as complex motivations as PCs, if not more so. "Mature" subjects such as sex and sexuality will show up in the game and be as complex as they are in reality, not the chainmail bikini route. Looting bodies is not the way to obtain wealth (keeping you at appropriate wealth levels is something I will handle; unless specifically playing a PC who likes looting the dead, don't do it just because it happens in standard D&D).
(13) Feel free to correct me at the table if I get a rule wrong (I hope you will be fair enough to do so whether it benefits the PCs or not) or if you disagree with a rules interpretation. Once I have heard you and made a ruling, whether you agree or not, do not argue. We will continue with the game and discuss any disagreements later, during a break or over email.
(14) Combat, with all its options, can take a long time and I will keep it moving as quickly as possible. Plan your actions before it comes to your turn. If it does come to your turn and you can't decide what to do in a few seconds, I will assume you are delaying and move on, and you can act when you make a decision. If using a specific tactic, spell, special ability, item, etc., know the details and (if needed) have your book open to the relevant section. If summoning a creature, have its stats ready. I will try to remember PC abilities and help move things along, but I cannot know the details of your PC as well as you should. If you tend to use a weapon regularly, know the attack roll and damage, so you don't have to look it up every time.
(15) XP will be assigned based on the adventure and has nothing to do with the creatures you defeat. There may be certain out-of-game tasks which will lead to bonus XP, such as writing journals or notes. If you do something which will add to the enjoyment of all players, whether it be drawing a group picture, creating props, etc., I will probably offer you an XP award.
(16) The more feedback you give me, the more I can cater to your needs and make the game enjoyable for all concerned. I will regularly ask for feedback, but please go ahead and give me some whenever you can. Don't worry about hurting my feelings. Being told that I could improve my handling of the actions of a bunch of imaginary characters in an imaginary world is not likely to irreparably injure my sentiments.
