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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lord Zardoz" data-source="post: 443261" data-attributes="member: 704">I have been running D&D campaings for some time, and I am also very familiar with D&D 3rd Edition, so I am not a newbie DM.  However, I have yet to run a Call of Cthulhu session, and the kind of gameplay implied by Cthulhu is typically based more on solving a mystery then defeating an evil plot.  To that end, I would like some advice on the adventure I have put together.  Here is the text of the adventure.What the players think happened:The locals are trying to locate Dr. David Smith, a surgeon who is suspected of the murder andmutilation of his wife, Sarah Smith.  The particularly gruesome manner in which Sarah waskilled has marked the Dr. Smith as a very dangerous man.  The recent deaths of two of Dr Smithspatients at the hospital where he works have also been re-filed as homicides.  Recent re-examination of Dr. Smiths actions over the last few months have made it clear that the deathscould not have been accidental as was previously thought.  The players have been hired byThomas Edwards, a local Lawyer who is Sarah Smiths brother, and offered a reward if they canlocate Dr. Smith and bring him to justice.What Really happened:The locals have recently discovered a natural spring located beneath the town.  Local businessleaders, Thomas Edwards among them, have set up a plant to bottle and sell the water locally. The water is contaminated, and is infecting the populace with sentient parasitic worms that willslowly consume the insides of the victims, and then control the victims as puppets for some time. Dr. Smith discovered the worms in an early stage in several of his recent patients, and surgicallyremoved them.  Of 5 surgeries, two were un-successful.  The worms were discovered in a naturalspring in Cambodia, and were originally encountered by an Johnathan Fitzgerald in 1922, whorecently died.  Johnathan Fitzgerald’s estate was also purchased Thomas Edwards, who is aprivate collector of artifacts from ancient civilizations.  Thomas had been trying to buy theexplorers Cambodian souvenirs for some time.  However, Johnathan had absolutely refused andnever gave any explanation as to why.  Thomas, who was convinced he could resell the artifactsfor a great deal, quietly made arrangements for Johnathan to die in a Hit and Run accident, andre-wrote Johnathan’s will.The worm parasites operate as a hive mind and the infected worm minions can recognize eachother on site..  The worms have a poor tolerance for alcohol, however, and cannot infect someonewho has recently consumed alcohol.  In those already infected, alcohol will render the wormsdormant.  The doctor in question is a heavy drinker, and has not been infected.  JohnathanFitzgerald had been known for his legendary consumption of Vodka, which was something thathis friends and family found odd after his disastrous trip to Cambodia in 1922, since before thenhe was not much of a drinker.  The worms became aware of the doctors suspicions, since heconfided in his wife.  However, his wife was already possessed.  A fight ensued, and the doctormurdered his wife in self defense.Here are a few other details.  Thomas Edwards is the Bad Guy, who is using the bottoled water to infect the town with Parasite Worms.  Infection with the worms starts as the Stomach Flu (which a few of the characters will come down with during the adventure).I consider this to be a more then good start.  However, There is one problem that I would very much like help with.  I am not entirely satisfied with the way that the villian (Thomas Edwards) and the Parasite Worms are linked.  Here are the problems.1)  Thomas has a motive for killing the old explorer (Johnathan Fitzgerald) and taking the assorted aftifacts from Johnathans estate.  However, I am not satisfied with they bottled water method of spreading the worms.  Thomas does not have a good reason to get involved in bottled water.  Is there a more plausible way to link him to the bottled water, or a better way to spread the infection?2)  I intend for only Dr. Smith to know of the Parasite worms and how to remove them.  I also wish to keep the fact that there were 7 operations performed in which he removed parasite worms before they could develop fully.  However, what of his assistants in the operating room?  Other then infection with worms, what is a good reason for the nurses and, surviving doctors not to report the worms?Any other criticisms and possible solutions to the two problems I pointed out are greatly desired, and more then welcome.END COMMUNICATION</blockquote>

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