DMing for new players

[Project_Mayhem]

I agreed to DM some 3.5 Eberron for my group. I've done this before, and have at least some experience as a DM. However, due to coflicting schedules (and the more popular WoD games I forgotto sign up for), we're having a reshuffle, and losing some players and gaining new players, who I have never met before.

Basically, Is there anything I should bear in mind if I'm dealing with new players? I can trust my current group, but like I said, I won't know these new people.

I'm currently planning to just say:
No Evil characters (unless theres a damn good reason why they are going to work with the group)
All non core stuff must be requested first - however I will probably say yes unless it's uber cheese
Players should give me a long term plan for their character - ranging from a 1-20 build if they are experienced,(This is so I'm not going to be surprised by broken prestige classes that may or may not exist in my campaign) to something along the lines of 'my rogue wants to get better at sneaking up and killing people' if they're newbies, (which is so I can find or make some prestige classes for them).

Is this fair? should I loosen/ tighten it?

[kamikasei]

Those seem like perfectly reasonable table rules for any group, and a bare minimum for players with whom you're unfamiliar. I may trust the player who's been at my table the longest utterly, but I still want to familiarize myself with what his character is capable of and where he wants to take it.

[FinalJustice]

Don't enforce the 1-20 planning on experienced people. Expect them to tell you what they plan ('I will probable want to take PRCx as soon as possible' then PRC Y) and don't enforce PrC on the Newbies, if they want to play a Sorcerer or Paladin 20, just let them. Aside from these, you're golden, perfectly reasonable requests.

[Kurald Galain]

Do you mean "new" as in "unfamiliar to you", or as in "unfamiliar with D&D so far"?

[Project_Mayhem]

Do you mean "new" as in "unfamiliar to you", or as in "unfamiliar with D&D so far"?

Definitly the first one, possibly the second one

Don't enforce the 1-20 planning on experienced people. Expect them to tell you what they plan ('I will probable want to take PRCx as soon as possible' then PRC Y)

OK, that sounds less restrictive.

don't enforce PrC on the Newbies, if they want to play a Sorcerer or Paladin 20, just let them. Aside from these, you're golden, perfectly reasonable requests.

Oh no, I didn't mean I'd force it on them - I'd just find/ create some more options for them - they wouldn't have to take them.

Also, now I think of it, How do most people integrate Tome of Battle with Eberron? Especially given that the martial adepts are straight out better than the core equivelants?

[Drascin]

Also, now I think of it, How do most people integrate Tome of Battle with Eberron? Especially given that the martial adepts are straight out better than the core equivelants?

Just dropping them in. They fit greatly with the setting. Just make sure to switch the meleer levels of some NPCs to ToB classes and you're golden.

For example, Iron Heart was developed by the Dhaakani Empire, and then absorbed by some of the humans that defeated them. Hobgoblin leaders in Darguun still follow this style (ie, there are a lot of Warblades focusing on it around)

Desert Wind is the discipline of the Valenar - skirmisher mobility and the power of the desert at its peak. I generally houserule that that Valenar Ancestor Champion... thing class into giving some extra Desert Wind maneuvers.

Shadow Claw's origin comes from the Zilargo black ops, who learned to manipulate magical shadow without deviating from their roguish ways. It went public a couple hundred years ago thanks to a renegade, and despite his sudden dissapearance, there had been too many apprentices to smother its propagation.

And so on and so forth.

Really, I can see having trouble getting some other mechanics into Eberron... but not ToB.

[Project_Mayhem]

Just dropping them in. They fit greatly with the setting. Just make sure to switch the meleer levels of some NPCs to ToB classes and you're golden.

For example, Iron Heart was developed by the Dhaakani Empire, and then absorbed by some of the humans that defeated them. Hobgoblin leaders in Darguun still follow this style (ie, there are a lot of Warblades focusing on it around)

Desert Wind is the discipline of the Valenar - skirmisher mobility and the power of the desert at its peak. I generally houserule that that Valenar Ancestor Champion... thing class into giving some extra Desert Wind maneuvers.

Shadow Claw's origin comes from the Zilargo black ops, who learned to manipulate magical shadow without deviating from their roguish ways. It went public a couple hundred years ago thanks to a renegade, and despite his sudden dissapearance, there had been too many apprentices to smother its propagation.

And so on and so forth.

Really, I can see having trouble getting some other mechanics into Eberron... but not ToB.

Hmm, I like that. I'll probably do something like this. I rather like the idea of some of the disciplines having been developed by the Lord of Blade's loyal warforged.