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Try to bring important figures that feature a lot in later stages to interact with the group way before they take the stage. Once the group has built relations (or enmities) to them they'll become a lot more invested into the campaign, when those people they already know and care for will take center stage for an adventure ot two.
Next thing is: build a reason for the shift of the guard structure in the city... in my campaign the Blue Duke was also raiding every caravan to and from Cauldron bringing the city in dire need of food. => town guard were pulled of in guard details for caravans (and disappeared) leading to a shortage in guards in the city...leading to mercenaries hired as new guards... leading to higher taxes to pay for these mercenaries... etc.
If you need further XP after the first adventure in the campaign you can have the group take up guard duty, too. I sprung an attack on them via hidden undead in pits below a camping site (Ghuls and Zombies). Plus it introduces further NPCs on the way, e.g. Alek may return from escorting the high priest of St.Cuthbert to the nearby port, they meet Shensen and the innkeeper of the Lucky Monkey...and Maavu may lead the caravan they save from destruction.
Fourth thing is: the fight between the Alleybashers and the Last Laugh. The leader of the Alleybashers tries vehemently to build up a gang. Any free rogues (and other hoodlums) are going to be "asked" to join, those that do not, are not going to be able to join the other guild (Mable?). Make a connection to Skylar Krewis, he was part of the patrol that was massacred years ago. He was spared... why?
Let the group make friends with Skylar and his patrol. Terseon Skellerang is always like JJJ in my attempts, he views adventurers as dangerous vigilantes in "his" city. Lord Vhalantru is always helpful for the SCs, as he sees what they can do for the city. Navalant has a tendency for overlong speeches (play this fact up, when the Flood Festival begins). Make him an inactive coward that has a too high oppinion of himself.
Next item: If any adventurers catch a disease, their will is weakened, and the dreams will come... pictures of battles between angelic hosts and fiendish hordes, strange landscapes, a cathedral in a hellish background... use dreams to foreshadow the otherworldly elements of the campaign. Use their allies to give them background information about the organization they are going up against. If They'll find a load of crates in a cellar, these crates will bear the brand of the enemy organization. If they'll find a lab, let them find traces of stardust there.
Other things: Alek Tercival and Lord Vhalantru are no friends. Vhalantru took over the seat in the Town Council when Alex's parents died, a fact he never forgave him, but he was still too young to claim his birthright.
The rivalry with the Stormblades is also a big motivator to show them, who are the true heroes in the city. My players were witnesses of the forming of the group in the Drunken Morkoth where one member quickly gained lots of "Friends" because of his racially tolerant statements, perhaps F&F are with the group and another guest in the inn calms everyone back down.
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Let the "cry for help" come from Skylar Krewis as they are already thin in ranks because of the raids on the caravans. Even Jil can give them a tip about the hideout, as they have enough on their hands with the rise of the Alleybashers...
Skellerang is fuming, but has to acknowledge the good the heroes have done for the city, a fact that sits not well with him, as he sees the city as "his" city. Lord Vhalantru will help the heroes, where he can. They will always have his ear about their new endeavors.
Let the "cry for help" come from Skylar Krewis as they are already thin in ranks because of the raids on the caravans. Even Jil can give them a tip about the hideout, as they have enough on their hands with the rise of the Alleybashers...
Skellerang is fuming, but has to acknowledge the good the heroes have done for the city, a fact that sits not well with him, as he sees the city as "his" city. Lord Vhalantru will help the heroes, where he can. They will always have his ear about their new endeavors.
Great idea Oliver particularly regarding the town guards. I would have liked to have used this when I played this though.
One thing the campaign certainly lacks in abundance is foreshadowing. Establish Sir Alek and Vhalantru as early as possible as well as the other major players. I placed Sir Alek in the very first adventure and he became a stalwart ally of the party. So much so that they sent him to Redgorge after Maavu in Zenith Trajectory while they went in search of Zenith. This put him exactly where he needed to be in the campaign and freed me from explaining why he was there later.
Vhalantru took an interest in the party during Flood Season but seemed a foppish and rather ineffectual drunkard with too much money and influence. When he claimed control of the city following the riots and began flooding the streets with barbarians for the Blue Duke the party was racking their brains trying to figure out who was pulling his strings. The fact he was the big bad for the political unrest was quite the shocker, as well as the revelation of his true identity.
Make liberal use of the alternate foreshadowing put forth by delvesdeep. It was indispensable in my game, even if I did drop lots of the endgame changes.
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I am finishing chapter 1 this week. I am going to start using the "necronants" as the guys raiding caravans and killing patrols. The party are not near the level to deal with them, and they will know it.
There are alot of cool foreshadowing ideas etc..here
http://therpgenius.pbworks.com/Shackled-City-main-page
I would like to keep comparing notes, if that is cool with you guys. I can see the need for gaurdsmen to go missing to validate a reason for the mercs being hired, thus the new taxes...I'm just sure my PC's will want to attack the problem head on.