Adventure Path or Modules / Creativity (Help a new GM out)

[Alex Gray]

Hey, so i'm currently in the states where i have picked up gaming as a hobby. I've only been playing for about 4 months but i have to get back to NZ next month. I want to keep playing and there are no games i can find there at the moment, and have managed to a few of my friends to sit down for a few sessions when we get back. So me, an unexperienced player myself, is going to lead a group of entirely unexperienced players at pathfinder having never gm'ed before. So basically I want to know whether or not to go for the serpent's skull adventure path or try and string my own campaign out of stuff i make up and pre-made modules? I like the idea of having it in a vaguely middle-eastern or african setting, rather than the generic medieval europe. I think this might help my players as well as it my set it apart (at least thematically) from the video game rpg's that they're used to and are alway set in pretty much the same place.

But basically i need advice and i will take any i can get. Thanks in advance.

[Shifty]

There are some basic prepack modules out there that are pretty low end, Kobold King or whatever, I'd recommend cutting your teeth on something simple just to get your 'mojo', as opposed to an AP which might get lengthy - early missteps will come back to haunt you otherwise :)

[Skylancer4]

The nice thing about the APs is the amount of background information you get. As a new DM trying to put something together is sometimes rough when the PCs go off to do something you weren't planning. The first AP had a ton of background info and there was enough to "play with" if the PCs got sidetracked which was nice. Altogether the APs are nice read as the DM as well, there was some stuff that really make the story but half of which the PCs don't see unless they are very thorough.

I was actually enjoying reading and running the AP because of that, instead of the one shot adventures that are usually just a crawl/hack and slash.