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So I've been a player in a number of campaigns with my circle of friends (mainly Pathfinder, but also some Shadowrun and Star Wars) and I'm thinking I want to pick up the mantle of GMing for myself, specifically with Iron Kingdoms. I am comfortable as a writer, and in developing a plot, however I am most concerned about what kind of small details or other more mechanics-based issues I should be ready to prepare for. Not necessarily specific to Iron Kingdoms, but in general. Thanks!

Some general GMing advice:
-Make a list of generic NPC names and so on for when your players ask the name of random inn keeper X.
-Try to look at the dynamic of the party before play, and design your plot around it. If the players establish a dynamic before play then they are more likely to stick together and work well together in game, and they may have more in character reasons to interact and bounce off each other. Think carefully about why the group would be together and make sure it fits with your plot.
-Related to the above, put challenges in your game world that are suitable for all the players, so they all have a moment to shine. Try not to rely too heavily on one type of enemy or situation unless that is explicitly your theme.

One a more mechanical level:
-I don't know how combat works in the Iron Kingdoms RPG, but two things I find troublesome are tracking initiative and keeping track of conditions that increase or decrease statistics. I find it is helpful to ask a trustworthy player to keep track of the initiative order for me, freeing me up to run the rest of the combat. Likewise, I make it a player's prerogative to remember their bonuses and so on.
-Plan out your first session fairly carefully, and after that, generally plan stuff but don't go overboard. I don't know what kind of game you're planning on running, but players love choice, and if you over-plan something you'll tend to force the players into it a bit. So give yourself enough to work with and then leave it be.
-I've heard the Iron Kingdoms RPG is quite tactical, and would suggest using a map program or something similar for tracking combat for that reason. Alternatively, you can use a battlemap and miniatures, but I have found that unless your miniatures selection is really encyclopaedic, this will tend to limit what you put in front of the players a little.

Best advice is be confident.

Don't be either overly generous or harsh with your players, and be ready to make stuff up on the spot.

Rules are secondary to fun.

Either make your PCs yourself, or spend your first session making them collaboratively with the players.

Great villains generally define a campaign. Let the PCs kill lieutenants and henchmen, but save the villain death for some suitably epic encounter. And don't make your villains overly smart (out of game knowledge) or overly stupid (comes off like pandering).

When creating a situation that you want the players to overcome, figure out different ways for them to over come it. Some players might prefer to come up with different solutions other than combat, like stealth, or even trying to talk their way out of some situations. With that being said, give the illusion of freedom of choice. If you REALLY want them to do something a certain way, and they try not to, figure out a way to get them to accomplish it in a manner you see fit. When/if you come up with multiple solutions to a problem, and they might figure out a way you didn't think of. When something like that happens, adapt the scenario based on a solution you already had. Last but not least, when you are revealing plot information with an NPC, I find it best to write down some kind of dialogue for questions players might ask the character. Its a lot of work GMing, but I find it very rewarding. Good luck, and most importantly have fun!

Have some 'random encounters' prepared to slot in when your players refuse to go and track down the bandits who robbed the village (or whatever)

and instead insist on scouring the sewers for the lost ring one of the NPCs mentioned in passing (but you never intended to be anything other than 'colour')

have a 'fight' or two planned out,

maybe a couple of encounters which could lead to violence or talk,

a negotiation and/or shopping spree

and maybe a bit of comedy light relief

you can keep all of these (remember to update the challenge level as your players characters become more powerful) tucked away to use if you need to

make them generic (so you can use them anywhere), but with enough detail that you don't end up in a panic if you're forced to use them.

You can also slot them in to a planned session if you didn't have time to prepare anything because you were really busy/ill the week before

I'm still in the very, very broad design stages for the campaign. Like, not even to the character design or encounter design, but I'd like them covering a lot of ground, basically chasing clues from one major area to another. The players would have the choice of what clues to chase, of course, and I'd offer up plenty of sidequest opportunities.

What'd I'd really like to do, provided I can find some way to work it into the Iron Kingdoms fluff, is inject a bit of Call of Cthulu style into it. And by that, I don't mind insanity tables and chunky player deaths, but more like a gradual unveiling of a greater, more encompassing evil rather than "muahah bad guy." And I do want to unsettle my players with unpredictability, even if they are familiar with the rules and setting, I want them to have moments of "what the hell was that" and feed that paranoia.

Well first of all welcome to the world of a GM!

* As others have mentioned having fun and enjoying the sessions are the most important, rules and so on comes afterwards.
* Plan on how you intend to advance your plot, and how the players will get clues and such. Also have a rough sketch of what sort of villain you plan on having. Evil robber baron or deranged mage is both good.
*Make sure the figths are such that the party dont get stomped in the first one. Or just walk trough their enemies with out any effort either. Keep it relevant to their levels and such.
* Reward/punish good and bad behavior.
* Spend time making sure the party is well balanced or have enough vital members to make the progress flow better.