My campaign's tone is dark & frankly paranoid. The tone is somewhere between the BBC version of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy & The Parallax View. With a heavy dose of Babylon 5 & Tom Baker era Dr. Who thrown in.
What does this mean? I focus the campaign on what is called the "Metaplot", but with emphasis on the players direct ability to affect it. The first session (back in 2013) introduced the PC's to the forces behind Frelik's usurpation, the existence of the Priests Arnak [Dansart] (still my favorite evil organization in SW), & introduced them to the Neng.
Each session since has drawn them deeper & deeper into the labyrinth of back stabbing & conspiracy that is the Politics of Jaiman. They've at various points thought that Jorun of Yarmuth to be a sinister influence on Rhakhaan, allowed Tatiana Faslurin, Raif Maglean, Raelen Thirok, & others to be mudered by a Herald of Night, & tore open the Tower of Yarthraak by utilizing the powers of the Gryphon Sword against it. They've assiduously avoided facing any Shards, but have done battle twice with Doombringers & won.
The players second guess their every move & barely go an hour without utilizing Awareness or Intuition spells. They've fled in terror of Lorgalis & negotiated with Sulthon Ni'Shaang. They've faced 4 different kinds of Messengers, but have only just heard of the Thalan. They kept a Temple to Zanar from being built in Lethys, but allowed the Y'kin in Tanara to be exterminated.
I use the Timeline (Campaign began on the 1st day of Winter 6050 3rd Era) in the various books as a guide for what & how the setting would be if the PC's did nothing. They've already had an impact, but the Osaran is still 2nd in the church of Orhan despite their best efforts & the Pale Man still haunts Tyrus Faslurin's dreams. They know nothing of Ondovol & the assault on the Northern Eye will soon bring them stark terror.
My players are convinced the Loremasters are villains, the Navigators are dicks, & the Alliance should be feared. They go to Nomikos every time they get enough cash & spend entire sessions doing research on the forces of darkness & everything they learn makes them more afraid.