Introduction

Hello!
I am going to try a few new things this campaign (as I often do), so I hope they are to your liking. There will be a few new players and a few veterans.
==This campaign's style==
Role Playing --------------+50+-----------''''-- Roll Playing
Roleplaying rewarded but optional; I will try to provide as many opportunities to roleplay as I can without making them obligatory. Backstories are not required nor recommended - but some idea of who your guy is might be helpful.
High Fantasy ---+10+----------------------- Low Fantasy
I will try to make the world semi-realistic, but without any care to historical accuracy.
High Magic +00+----------------------------- Low Magic
This will be the highest magic campaign I have ever run!
High Power ---------------+50+-------------- Low Power
Dark Vibe -----------------------+85+---- Light Vibe
This will not be a dark campaign. Maybe not quite disney, but definitely not horror. You will not have to make choices with inescapable regrets.
Mild Content ---------------+50+------------ Hardcore Content
There's a necessary amount of violence that comes with any dnd game, no matter how tame (but I'll leave the extent of the gore up to you). There'll probably be adult themes, but no rape, and children are immortal. I cannot promise innocents or animals will not be harmed.
===Things that seem to have worked in the past===
*A win condition; something that will conclude the campaign.
*Player acheivements :D
*Short, regular sessions.
*Keeping In-Character discussions (mostly) serious and joking Out-Of-Character instead.
==Railroad alert!==
In the interest of getting things rolling, getting a couple of combats under your belts, and enabling the Roll-As-You-Go backstory development,  you are going to be massively railroaded during the first session or two (the first dungeon).
I've never railroaded this hard before, and I apologize but please bear with me. After the first dungeon, you will have (almost) complete autonomy until the end of the campaign.
==Character Creation==
4th Edition characters can and should be created using the "Character Builder" application.
Some notes on building characters:
*Communicate with your fellow PCs as to who will fill which roles: you basically want one of each, and after that it is up to your own judgement. It will seriously hurt if you are missing one of the roles.
**You also probably want the skills Diplomacy, Perception, Thievery, Dungeoneering and Nature to be trained for at least one of your party members.
**It might not be a bad idea to train at least one of the social skills yourself. If you are unsure which one to take then Diplomacy is a solid choice.
*I'm allowing the background "Auspicious Birth/Born Under A Bad Sign" and am also recommending most non-Defenders take this (but not requiring it). People with good Constitution scores are recommended to take their preference of the ones that grant Perception, Dungeoneering, Nature, or Stealth. But, of course, do whatever pleases you.
*You'll need a "legal" character according to the Builder (not "house-ruled").
*For rolling your abilities, you can use the standard array, or the alternative standard arrays.
==Character Restrictions==
If I don't list a restriction below, it is probably allowed.
===Race===
You must be a Dwarf. Just kidding! You can be anything you like, except Drow. Bear in mind these special races though:
*Humans, Dwarves, Elves, Halflings (Hobbits) and Gnomes are commonplace and completely welcomed in society (with the exception of individuals who are racist against one of those races).
*Anything with scales (dragonborn but especially lizardfolk, kobolds and some others), and Thri-Kreen are actively disliked by the community due to historical and current violence.
*Many locals will kill Drow on sight. Don't play a Drow.
Any other race will probably be treated with suspicion if not caution, especially some of the more exotic options.
===Good and Evil===
No Evil characters to start: Good and Neutral only thanks.
*Otherwise alignments will be descriptive not prescriptive, and you will get a warning before an alignment change.
For reference, what the alignments represent:
*Good: Freedom and kindness.
*Lawful Good: Civilization and order.
*Evil: Tyranny and hatred.
*Chaotic Evil: Entropy and destruction.
*Unaligned: Having no alignment; not taking a stand.
===Items===
Equip yourselves normally.
*Buy one quiver of ammunition (arrows/bolts/bullets - whatever) but don't worry about stockpiling because we won't bother keeping track of them.
===Religion===
Unless you need to pick a religion (like I believe clerics, avengers, paladins do), you are welcome to decide later.
If you want to decide now, I'd strongly recommend Mystra or Azuth. Halfling, Elf, Gnome or Dwarf gods are also alright, as are Velsharoon and Savras. Shar would also be a possible, but probably suboptimal choice. Anyone else would probably be a significant disadvantage.
==One final and very important note==
Don't write a backstory (but do get some idea of who your guy is while you are building him or her), we'll do that as we play. But do send me your character ahead of time.
Also let me know how much of the adventure Keep on the Shadowfell you have played as that will likely be our first fungeon (I don't want anyone to have to repeat any fights).
Once I know how much to skip, I'll let you know what level you are starting at. In the meantime, you are welcome to either create level 1 characters (so that you will always get a promotion) or level your guy up to level 5 and we'll "demote" him by "viewing at level X". Either way, keep your equipment at level 1.