Types of Campaigns for Starters

[Ulysses WkAmil]

Hello. I am DMing for my group of freinds, (about 5-6) and was wondering: what campaign type is best for more of the "beginner types". They come from the MMORPG community, so they can be difficult sometimes. We had about 15 sessions that were a trial campaign, a no-worries no-repricussions campaign in which they learned how to preform combat and non-combat scenarios.
Down to the issue. We are starting a real s***-gets-real type campaign, in wich burning down the church of Moradin on accident leads to police investigation. A few players would like an evil campaign, which would most certainly fill their MMO urges. Most of them are indifferent, and will preform evil acts if the option is presented. I'm not sure, however, if this would be good for their grasp on the game's mechanics and RP. Although I am really, really, REALLY sure they could easily RP evil characters better than most. And there may be a bit more fun in it, I have no idea one way or another. I'm worried it may devolve the game into a state of mindless PC pleasure seeking. Any thoughts? To give you an idea of what I'm dealing with, the personality types of the guys I deal with include:
A Pompous Narcisus
A Compulsive Theif
A Perv
A Crazed War-monger
And a decent fellow that can go either way on the alignment system
Most can control their desire to ruin my hand-crafted campaign world, but it seems like it strains them. Thanks in advance.

[Ashdate]

I don't think an evil campaign being their "first" game (although geez, 15 sessions for a trial campaign!?) is a good idea. The game is heroic fantasy; maybe they spent too much time PVPing.

If you must, I think setting up some sort of scenario where the PCs start as evil/despicable characters, but a god/good religion "brands" the PCs with a Geas spell that forces them to uphold particular conduct (see: the Order of the Stick comics with Belkar being branded). Then send them off to stop another evil guy from __________ the world.

Give them a strict list of stuff they "can't" do without triggering the Geas. Breaking the mark causes them to grant Combat Advantage and become Weakened until they can "atone" with a monetary donation to a good-aligned church of [(their level) x (their level) x 100] gold.

Play the list absolutely strict, to the point where they can sometimes find "loopholes" in it. For example, maybe they're not allowed to attack someone in a town, so they call them outside of town. Or maybe they can set up Rube Goldberg machine that they can get someone else to activate, which means it was someone else, not them who burned down the Governor's mansion.

You'll know from your numerous pre-games their appetite for combat/role-playing, so I don't think I can give you much advice there, but if you haven't, sprinkle plenty of difficult terrain/obstacles in your fights. You can use the improvisation table on Page 42 of the DMG for DCs, but for improvised damage you might want to increase the damage done slightly (such as by one die, so 2d8 +3 becomes 3d8 +3).

Other than that, good luck!

[Ulysses WkAmil]

That's a great idea, that woul encourage thinking... thanks!..and the 15 sessions was intended at first to be the real thing, but we ended up screwing so much stuff up we decided to just start fresh with our knowledge.

[Alejandro]

This might not be nice to say, but can you get some different players? Usually in gaming, the 'garbage in, garbage out' principle applies. No matter what you do or how you run the game, if the players are terrible, they will be. Take that from my personal experience with (ex) group members.

[Ulysses WkAmil]

Well I know they are infact trying, they are just a bit, "tainted", by the MMORPG style of rp that is realativley mindless. We are only in high school, and are a good group of friends. Otherwise, I would take your advice.

[Alejandro]

Well, I compliment you on your maturity, then. If I were you, I would tell them up front what kind of game you are going to run and what your expectations are, and if they don't live up to them, drop it. Trust me, in a few years you'll be able to find even better players. :)

[DrBurr]

Alright from what I can gather your group is fine, there just rough around the edges after a full campaign or 2 they should really come into their own.

I suggest that you go the Kidnapping or Dead Mentor arc, with a common foe to seek out this should put off most of their more murderous tendencies.

[Ulysses WkAmil]

You see, the first 15 session was also me finding out what plot arc works best with them. Medieval drug ring flopped, so did the Cult of Orcus and a returning Necromancer. By flop I mean was not very good for RP. I never actually thought, however, of ways to put off their evils. The common foe thing I will definatley try, thanks. Since we are all close friends, inter-group RP and banter is usually held in a joking manner, if at all. I'll try and encourage it more, I think they'll get a bit more mild if they actually worked at their backstories and stuff.

[Hopeless]

How about they're all at an Inn wondering where their next meal is going to be paid by when a group rush in heavily wounded carrying a few more seriously wounded upstairs.
One of them given some flagons of ale reveals that they were guards on a caravan heading to the capital when they were attacked by a black robed wizard aided by a dragon and a small army of kobolds.
They managed to kill the dragon and the wizard but a small number of kobolds stole two or three of the wagons carrying chests filled to the brim with gold.
Once he and his comrades recover from their injuries they plan on hunting down the kobolds as other than them there's nothing to stop them recovering a large fortune in gold which would be theirs for the taking since the former owner was killed in the battle and has no heir so nothing to prevent whoever recovers it from claiming it as their own loot.
He also mentions where they were last seen and your PCs actually know the area so they have a pretty good idea where the kobolds may have gone to ground... just as an incentive reveal there was a number of magical items locked up the sooner its recovered the less likely said kobolds can get access to them and make things far harder...

Before starting ask them what magical items they'd like their characters to obtain say a level 1, 2 and 3 item so when they answer you can mention above that one of these items was on this caravan and the kobolds might have this item unless they head out to retrieve it themselves...

[TheKoalaNxtDoor]

Well, what you could do is start them off under the employment of a powerful "Evil" mercenary company, or as hired muscle for a sinister noble or merchant house. That way they could be "evil," but they would be held in check by even more "evil" people than them. So, if they are part of a crime ring, and they are supposed to just rough up the idealistic Governor, and plant false evidence in his house, and the warmonger kills him, the thief steals everything and the perv rapes his daughter, the crime ring boss will be really pissed, and imprison them or try to have them killed. Then they'd find themselves being out of sorts with the law and the underworld, and have no protection from the one from the other, leading to a bad campaign for them because they will never be able to buy anything with there mad cash do to being wanted by everyone.