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Nerdarchy on Zoo Mafia RPG Design Diary #1 (Overview)

In this 17-minute video on Nerdarchy the YouTube channel Nerdarchists Dave and Ted finally decide to create their first roleplaying game — Zoo Mafia RPG. The video goes into their ideas and overview of an RPG they want to create.

The conversation begins by explaining the origin for the Zoo Mafia concept. Dave and Ted share why they hadn’t thought about creating their own RPG before and why this concept is so exciting for them before laying out the basic premise.

In Zoo Mafia players take the role of animals living in a zoo who also operate within a network of organized crime right under the noses of zoo staff and visitors. The discussion touches on the key points of what characters do during gameplay and includes broad strokes about the setting, protagonists and antagonists involved in a group’s adventures.

A while back Nerdarchy commissioned art for three of the crime bosses, which feature prominently in our marketing as well as our live playtest going on during our Tuesday night live game play group. We’ve also created a special newsletter specifically for Zoo Mafia so folks can stay up to date with development. This newsletter frequency will not exceed once per week. We’ll share news and other developments as well as free Quickstart Rules as soon as they’re ready. Learn more about it and subscribe here.

In the remainder of the video Dave and Ted share their thoughts on what kinds of stories they imagine coming about in a game of Zoo Mafia and touch on potential game mechanics including a quick look at one possible system to hack. [NERDITOR’S NOTE: Behind the scenes it’s been really awesome to see Dave’s enthusiasm and excitement as design lead for this project. And as a player in the playtest group I can attest to how much fun it is to play. The mechanics Dave developed really facilitate a great experience.]

If you enjoy Nerdarchy’s approach to game design and material for your RPG experiences one of our recent rewards puts 5E D&D characters in the driver’s seat as participants in magical motorcycle death race. Racing Chances includes new vehicles and upgrades plus guidance for running a high octane street race through a fantasy urban environment along with six teams of NPC racers to push adventurers and their arcane cycles to the max. You can get immediate access to Racing Chances and all our monthly rewards right now. Check it out here!