I need advice/help from veterans

We are a group of friends (8-10) people who will be trying Conan Exiles for the first time. We intend to play on a server for just us and explore the game. We want some sort of limitations so that people don't hit "end game" right away.

Long story short, do you guys have any tips on how to limit ourselves so that we fully play the game and get many sessions out of the game? I have no idea how this game works at all, but I just want it to be a pleasant experience that lasts for more than 10-20 hours.

Thank you for any advice or input!!