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Contraband & Curiosities: Strange Items in the Zoo Underworld

Not everything that moves through Furton City’s back alleys and smoke-filled speakeasies is made of peanuts or bullets. Beneath the surface trade routes and boss-sanctioned shipments lies a secondary economy built on rare items, forbidden finds, and the downright bizarre. These contraband goods and strange curiosities pass claw to paw in the Zoo Mafia underworld — and can transform a job, a character, or a whole campaign.

Here’s how to bring these eccentric elements to life at your table, plus a curated list of flavorful and setting-enhancing black-market items.

What Makes an Item “Curious” in Zoo Mafia?

In Zoo Mafia, a good contraband item does one (or more) of the following:

• Feels like it shouldn’t exist in a zoo.

• Adds mystery, risk, or a unique advantage.

• Reflects the blend of anthropomorphic society and animal instinct.

• Encourages story hooks, trade-offs, or moral dilemmas.

These aren’t just +1 Tommy guns or bonus peanut stashes. These are conversation starters, game changers, and secrets with price tags.

Examples of Underworld Contraband

1. The Chameleon Coat
A sleek trench that subtly mimics its surroundings. Not full invisibility — just enough camouflage to slip through a crowd. Rumored to be made from molted skins of a crime-lord lizard.

2. Whisper Seeds
Fey-touched dandelion puffs. Blow one into someone’s ear and plant a thought they’ll believe was their own — but only once. Illegal under both owl law and squirrel treaty.

3. The Squealer’s Bell
A tiny bell that rings when someone nearby lies… but it doesn’t tell you who. Dangerous in interrogation rooms. Deadly in poker games.

Zoo Mafia RPG Beach Episode!

4. Peanut Butter Bomb
Looks like a jar of smooth spread. Actually a pressure-sealed mix of peanuts and explosive sap from jungle trees. Invented during the Great Feed Riots.

5. Hair of the Alpha
A preserved tuft from the mane of a long-dead apex predator. Grants an animal courage (or madness) when burned and inhaled. Highly addictive.

6. The Painted Acorn
Solid gold, lacquered to look ordinary. Often used to pay off silent favors or trade hands between information brokers.

7. Human Trinkets
Everything from cracked sunglasses to broken wristwatches, smuggled out from the zookeeper side. Some are trophies, others are evidence.

8. Vulture’s Voucher
An IOU written in bone ink. Cashable only with the mysterious Vulture Syndicate — and always with a catch.

9. Lucky Foot of the Double-Jumping Jackrabbit
This rabbit was real. It had two extra knees. Now its foot passes between high rollers in secret games — a totem of luck and legacy.

10. The Zoobanian Fang
A fossilized tooth that glows when near blood. Whispers follow those who carry it. Most deny it’s cursed. Most also vanish.

How to Use These Items in Your Game

As Quest Seeds
Build a session around finding, stealing, or protecting one of these items. Who wants it? Why? Who else is looking?

To Deepen Faction Drama
Let different crime families trade or argue over ownership. Does Bunny Malone outlaw Whisper Seeds? Does Carlos Hambino horde Painted Acorns?

As Bargaining Chips
In desperate situations, a single strange item might be worth more than cash. Especially if it has history — or danger — tied to it.

To Foreshadow Weirdness
Introduce a single unusual object, unexplained and harmless. Let it lead to bigger mysteries, like the influence of the Fey, humans, or hidden zoo sectors.

Make Your Own Curiosities

Zoo Mafia RPG Black Ops Edition

When designing your own:

• Mix whimsy and menace.

• Tie items to specific animals or factions.

• Think about consequences. What’s the cost of using this item?

• Always ask: “What story does this item tell?”

Final Thoughts

In Zoo Mafia, the shadows aren’t just full of danger — they’re full of wonder. Letting your world breathe with peculiar artifacts and smuggled relics gives your players more than just a mission. It gives them questions, legends, and choices.

If you are a fan of Zoo Mafia and want to be notified when we go live on Kickstarter make sure you head over to the follow page to get notified. If you want to be on the newsletter to get all the details as we release them you can sign up here.

Next time your crew cracks open a crate in a shady warehouse, maybe they won’t find just peanuts. Maybe they’ll find something that could change the whole game.

Thanks for reading. Until Next Time, Stay Nerdy!!