Making “Church of Worms”

This adventure is my submission to the Eternal TTRPG Jam - Blood Worm Moon. This subject evokes something cult-like. Blood and Moon describe the eternal struggle between vampires and werewolves. Apparently, worms wormed their way into that struggle…

Conflict

  • worms + werewolves = Weremoles. Acolytes that turn into hideous moles while in moonlight. Cursed by the vampires that they managed to defeat.
  • worms + vampires = Bloodworms. Worms that turned vampiric after eating the corpses of the defeated vampires. Now they thirst for blood.

Ironically, everything went downhill when the vampires were defeated. Now the weremoles are plagued by their worm adversaries. Another twist is introducing a descendant from the vampires, set on revenge. He sets up a nice three-way conflict for players to game.

Layout

Church is a nice contrasting setting. Both vampires and werewolves are associated with unholiness. It’s why the weremoles used to be acolytes. Religion is a nice foil.

Churchs have a few distinct spaces. The main hall, belltower, graveyard and rooms for the clergy are all expected. Due to the presence of molemen, tunnels beneath the church seemed logical. These also subdue the expectation and enhance the mystery of what happened here.

Interactivity

The NPCs, available resources and layout of the church should provide choice. These are examples of gameability created through this adventure’s design:

  • Introducing the descendant of the once-vanquished vampires gives players the option to oppose the acolytes for valid reasons.
  • Timber is a problem that requires solving, with no clear solution provided. Timber objects act as the traps and puzzles of this adventure.
  • Searching the source of the bloodworms is the assumed source of play. There’s no certainty players found all nests, but there are ways to find them effectively.

Play

In play, try to bring in the creepy vibes. Drip information to the players slowly. Every NPC they meet lifts a small part of the veil. Once the truth comes out, wheels start turning.

If you like it, please let me know why and how! These designs are ever evolving, so any feedback or critiques are greatly appreciated.

Cheers,
Willem-Jan

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