The Cost of Being Seen (Zoo Mafia a Nior TTRPG)
Reputation, Rumors, and the Price of Visibility in Zoo Mafia
In Zoo Mafia, our noir animal mafia tabletop RPG set in a 1920s crime zoo, power isn’t about how loud you are.
It’s about who knows what you did—and who doesn’t.
Every job leaves a shadow. Every success leaves witnesses. Sooner or later, someone sees something they weren’t supposed to.
The question isn’t whether the crew will be seen.
It’s by whom.
Visibility Is a Currency (And It Spends You Back)
Being seen in Zoo Mafia is never neutral.
Visibility creates:
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Reputation
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Leverage
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Expectations
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Enemies
Sometimes all at once.
A crew that’s never seen is invisible—and safe.
A crew that’s seen too often becomes predictable—and hunted.
In this indie tabletop RPG, the sweet spot is fleeting visibility:
just enough to matter, never enough to explain.
When Fame Feels Good (And Why It’s a Trap)
Early on, reputation feels like progress.
People whisper your name.
Fixers come to you instead of the other way around.
Doors open faster.
But fame doesn’t just attract opportunity.
It attracts scrutiny.
The more visible the crew becomes, the harder it is to:
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Move unnoticed
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Deny involvement
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Blame someone else
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Walk away clean
In Zoo Mafia, fame is like leaving pawprints in wet concrete. It looks impressive… until it dries.
The Dangerous Ways to Be Seen
Not all witnesses are equal.
Who sees you determines how much it costs.
Seen by Humans (The Worst Case)
Humans don’t understand nuance. They don’t respect codes. They don’t care about your motives.
Mechanically:
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Immediately lose half your Markers (round down)
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Future human interactions become tense, suspicious, or hostile
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Keepers increase patrols and monitoring in affected areas
Narratively:
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“Smart animals” rumors spread
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Cameras get adjusted
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Enclosures get redesigned
Being seen by humans doesn’t just cost resources.
It changes the zoo itself.
Seen by Allies
Allies don’t forget what they see.
They smile. They nod. They remember.
Being seen by an ally creates leverage:
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They know what you can do
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They know where you were
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They know what you’re willing to risk
Mechanically:
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Allies may call in favors based on what they witnessed
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Information can be used for pressure or quiet blackmail
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Refusing requests carries sharper consequences
Sometimes allies don’t betray you.
They just… collect.
Seen by Neutrals (The Most Unpredictable)
Neutrals are dangerous precisely because they don’t care.
No loyalty. No code. No reason to protect you.
Neutrals might:
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Sell the story
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Trade it for safety
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Tip off the keepers
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Leak it to rivals
Mechanically:
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Information spreads unpredictably
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Law pressure may increase without warning
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The crew loses control of the narrative
Neutrals don’t weaponize knowledge out of spite.
They do it because it’s useful.
Seen by Rivals
A rival watching you isn’t always bad.
But it’s never good.
A rival who sees you in action is measuring:
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Your weaknesses
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Your desperation
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Your habits
Mechanically:
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Rivals may gain advantages when acting against the crew
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Your failures become invitations
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Even successes can look like overextension
To a rival, being seen isn’t impressive.
It’s informative.
Anonymity Is Power (If You Can Hold It)
The most dangerous crews in Zoo Mafia aren’t famous.
They’re unconfirmed.
No one knows:
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Who really pulled the job
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How many they are
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What they actually want
Anonymity lets you:
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Deny involvement
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Shift blame
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Walk away from bad deals
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Choose when to matter
Territory can be stolen.
Rumors fade.
But anonymity—once lost—is almost impossible to regain.
GM Advice: Make Being Seen Matter
For Game Masters running this noir tabletop roleplaying game:
Don’t punish visibility immediately.
Let it linger.
A look held too long.
A name spoken once.
A favor asked “just this once.”
Use witnesses as future pressure, not instant failure.
Being seen should feel like debt—not damage.
Player Advice: Decide Who You Want Watching
Before every risky move, ask:
“Who might see this—and who do we want it to be?”
Sometimes the right witness is:
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A rival who needs to be scared
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An ally who needs proof
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A neutral who can be framed
The worst witness is always the one you didn’t consider.
In Zoo Mafia, Power Isn’t Being Known
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.
It’s being misunderstood.
Seen too clearly, and you’re predictable.
Never seen at all, and you don’t exist.
The real power move?
Let them see just enough…
…and never let them agree on what it meant.
Thanks for reading. Until Next Time, Stay Nerdy!!
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