I have never been a GM but here is my thought on how I would like to do it...is this a good idea?

First, let me apologize if this has been brought up before. I just found Roll 20 today as I have just recently gotten back into role playing. I have never been a GM but have kicked around the idea of how I would like to do it, if I were to, for some time and I'm not entirely sure it would work. But here are my thoughts.. What I would like to do is have the players all come up with their characters, their backgrounds and the cultures that they come from. Use this as the starting point of the adventure, ie I have no preconceived adventure until I get these. And as much as possible have the adventures take place near or in these cultures provided by the players. They would have to be comfortable with me taking their ideas from what they provided and adding my own thoughts over time so the game could progress but I would endeavor to keep the flavor of the cultures they come up with. In addition to their background I would like each player to come up with a goal or arc, if you will, that they would like to experience. Take for example a personal transition, revenge on a certain group, becoming the leader of a faction, etc. These then become the basis of the campaign and I could take off from there. The path to get there would be a winding road with no certainty of ever reaching the objective but each goal would be weaved in throughout the campaign along with the others. Basically, let the players play the story they want to, but it doesn't necessarily play out as they had foreseen. The characters aren't going through a story, they are the story. I would like this to be for strong role players who have an idea of a character and and goal(s) they would really like to try. The players would also be responsible for coming up with how they know each other and why they would be willing to fight and die for each other. Does this sound interesting to anyone? This may have been done 100 times before and if so I apologize. It's just something I have been mulling on since getting back into the game. If I should post this elsewhere please let me know. Also, if anyone has had experience with a campaign like this and could forewarn me of potential problems that would be appreciated.

This sounds like a lot of fun. Have you looked at some of the DM subreddits? When I first started, I used those a lot, just to get ideas on what would and wouldn't work.

Thank you for the response. And no I have not, but I will. Thanks!

Being a DM/GM is tough but if you read the content and have a good (does not have to be perfect) grasp of the rule set and most of all, have a loose plan of action then you should be ok. The frustration many DM/GM's feel I think, are the ghosting players, unreliable players, players with bad internet, players with screaming moms, or barking dogs or parakeets dying and much more. Basically it might take two or three of months to have a solid group so just be ready for that bit of awesome frustration. Roleplayer123 said: Thank you for the response. And no I have not, but I will. Thanks!

Ok, thank you GM Scott. Appreciate the advice

Perfectly clean normal concept this is how i usually ran 3rd ed.. have a few lvl 1 idea madeup based on their stuff or run ur version of a module adn then let it just grow into its own thing form there

I have only been DMing for about 2 months & this is basically how I run my game. I build a setting & populated. I then have my own 2-3 starting quests but then built the rest of the quest adventures in my downtime that would revolve around players to get them invested.

I would like to join your game

Thank you all for the feedback. 

Hello, I'm also new to roll20 and am seeking a group. Are you looking for players? I'm all for having the adventure crafted via the integrating stories of the players.

this is super interesting, i would love to join and test your idea out.

Yep, that sounds like a solid way to run a campaign, at least to begin with. It wouldn't hurt to build up the setting in the background as the PCs play, that way you get some idea of political factions and geography, but that's all stuff you can do after the first handful of sessions. I would be interested in joining if you're interested in looking for players. If you like 5e, I have access to some of the most useful 5e books in physical form (DMG, PHB, MM, Eberron, Xanathar's, and Volo's Guide) and have worked on my own campaign settings in the past, so I'd be happy to help you put it all together and I'd love another game to play in if you could do sessions during Tuesdays or Wednesdays.

Thank you all for the replies and interest. I will definitely let you know when I get something set up. And Melody I could use some help/thoughts. Would it be ok if I messaged you via Roll20 when I am ready to get started? I would like to make this a great experience for the players.