i need help and tips for a new DM

[broli]

Hi
i need help with my campaign, tips, ect, anything that can make my work easier, and faster.

the story is really simple. long time ago, a group of mages made a mistake while researching plane related spells, and started a "mortal kombat" kinda tournament that decides the fate of the world every 100 years.

this organization, centered in a small continet / big island , started political intrigues and wars among people, to create a training stage.

anyone good enough to survive, was recruited and further trained. every 100 yeears a group of 24 was selected for the tournament.

someone found that all the political problems and wars where funded by this group (not why), so all the kingdoms united to end it.

the campaing started 99 years after the fall of this organization, which is 99 years after the last tournament.
the players where in posesion of a ring that was the transport method for champions

they find that the organization was not destroyed, only their lowest members where killed. the heart of it was and still is, hiden in the shadows

so they embark on a epic battle to, well, find the real heroes and give them the ring

i love how they where waiting to become the main heroes, the peasants that are asqued to step up and save the world, and the main npc says something like "you whimps cant even fart without taking damage, you better find the real champions!!"

the thing is, i have a ticking timer, that when reaches december 31, will go kaboom

i want them to fail, so the next chapter of my campaign, is an evil party, and they have to play pj that are part of the invading army.
the third chapter will probably be a good aligned party saving the world

so, the party is on the first days of april, and im out of ideas they can chase.
my intention is for them to get close but not quite, to this secret organization
they will make contact only a few days before the end.

i need ideas, of quests (that require in game time) so they can waste the remaining months :P

so far all the content is made by me (no including maps of dungeons).

i just need ideas. one liners that can jump start my imagination.

and then, i need tips, help, on how to be able to create more content, faster, so my players can do whatever they want.

for example, i have the idea, they might get their hands in a list of people suspected to be from this secret group, recompiled by some good alingned corp of paladins they will have to defeat.
the list will include them, and a lot of other people.
how can i write the backlogs and storys and quest associated to every name of the list, fast enough?
i want to introduce this to the campaing as fast as possible, but i cant write all the info fast enough!!!

my apologizes for the poor grammar, english is not my birth language. and thanks for reading

any help will be appreciated by me and enjoyed by my players

cheers!

[Ryu_Bonkosi]

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=76474

Read this if this is your first time DMing. It helps.

[Grogmir]

Thats the thread you need - a perfect breakdown of the initial concerns you should have as a DM.

If you have any specific questions let us know.

[Grogmir]

i want them to fail, so the next chapter of my campaign, is an evil party,

Thats a dangerous game to play first time out - its okay Wanting them to fail, but actually designing the story arc around it? Dangerous imo.

Failure might be 'success' to you - but it'll always be failure to the PCs.

and then, i need tips, help, on how to be able to create more content, faster, so my players can do whatever they want.

IMO its not about having everything 'stat'd' out. Create the world in your head but dont have it as a static world - flesh out the important NPC, then run with it.

If the players then ask - does this town have a Mage's Guild? You don't have to look at the town's notes - You just say yes (nearly always say yes) but you might need to do a little streetwise to find out where it is.

Good Luck and Happy Rollin'

[LansXero]

First of all, there is a tournament, thats great. Between who? Do the contestants represent themselves, some other faction, other planes? What happens if no one competes? (as in, who wins by default / who won last time?).

Answering this should make things easier for you. Once you know who is competing, you can profile them by a few characteristics, then draw your suspects on that list from mixing these characteristics (otherwise, if there is no common identifying features, why are they suspect?). Defining consequences and possibilities should help you plan out developments and link them to your current PCs, and build up the motivations for those heroes they are seeking. Maybe make their failure a bit different: They find the heroes, they want nothing to do with the thing anymore due to whatever. PCs push them, they fight, heroes die, PCs fail to win the tournament, failure. PCs lose, heroes still dont show up, failure. PCs decide to chance the tournament themselves without the emo heroes, die trying, failure. But varied and perhaps worthy failure xD

[broli]

thanks alot, that post is awsome!!!