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Zoo Mafia The Hunt: Predators, Prey, and the Circle of Crime

In Zoo Mafia, the word hunt carries more than one meaning. It’s not just about tooth and claw — it’s about pursuit, obsession, and survival. Whether your crew’s tracking down a rat who double-crossed the family, dodging a relentless keeper patrol, or stalking a rival gang through the concrete jungle, the hunt embodies the pulse of Furton City: the chase never stops.

Let’s dig into how to make “the hunt” a core part of your Zoo Mafia game — as story, as tension, and as instinct.

🩸 1. Predators in Pinstripes

Every animal’s got instincts — but in Zoo Mafia, they’re wrapped in suits and smokes. A tiger in a fedora, a falcon with binoculars, a shark running “collections” down by the docks. These aren’t wild beasts anymore, but that primal hunger never left.
When you run a hunt, let those instincts resurface. The leopard enforcer might start pacing when things go wrong. The rat informant’s tail twitches when they’re cornered. The lion don in his velvet chair purrs softly when his prey is near.

Play up how civilized predators struggle to contain what’s beneath the hat and tie — and how the smartest ones use it.

🔍 2. Who’s Hunting Who?

The best hunts flip expectations. Sure, your crew might be tracking a rival smuggler through the slums — but maybe they’re the ones being tracked, too. Keepers, bounty hyenas, or a rival pride might be closing in at the same time.

Treat every chase as a cat-and-mouse (or cat-and-cat) game.
Every alley is a new choice: pursue, hide, or misdirect. Each roll should bring you closer to the truth — or closer to being caught.

You can structure a Zoo Mafia hunt like a mini-heist:

1. The Lead: Rumors of a missing shipment, a rival sighting, or a betrayal.

2. The Trail: Interviews, stakeouts, or tracking scenes using Awareness or Sly.

3. The Turn: The prey fights back, the trail goes cold, or the tables flip.

4. The Finale: A bloody confrontation, a daring escape, or a moral choice — do they take the shot or walk away?

🦠 3. Keepers on the Trail

Sometimes, the hunt is justice with a badge. The Keepers (zookeeper-police) know how to follow scents, check claw marks, and piece together patterns most “civilians” miss. They’re not fools — they’re apex hunters in their own right.

A Keeper-led manhunt can turn the whole city into a pressure cooker. The family can’t move their product, crews hide in safehouses, and every shadow feels like a spotlight. It’s The Great Escape, but with fur, feathers, and fear.

If you want to turn up the tension, let the PCs feel the walls closing in. Show flyers with their faces, cages being cleaned out “for new arrivals,” and Keepers sniffing around their favorite speakeasy. The question becomes: how do you out-hunt the hunters?

🍖 4. The Feast at the End

Every hunt ends in a feast — one way or another. Either the hunters eat well, or the prey feeds someone else.

When the chase finally ends, give it emotional weight. Don’t just make it about who wins — make it about what it costs.
Did the crew finally corner their betrayer, only to realize they’ve become monsters themselves? Did they save their territory but lose their sense of loyalty?
A Zoo Mafia hunt is never just about survival. It’s about what the pursuit reveals — about instinct, hunger, and the thin line between predator and prey.

🎲 5. Mechanics in Motion

To keep hunts dynamic at the table:

• Use Sly and Awareness for tracking, surveillance, or stalking scenes.

• Moxie tests might determine how long someone can stay on the run.

• When tension peaks, switch to a Wild confrontation — physical, fast, and feral.

• Encourage players to lean into their animal instincts: describe scent, sound, and movement as key clues.

Make every success and failure feel physical — like a heartbeat under the city’s skin.

🐾 Final Word: The City’s Always Watching

Furton City is the jungle. Every alley, canal, and rooftop is part of the ecosystem. The hunt isn’t just an event — it’s the rhythm of life in the underworld.

When you bring a hunt into your Zoo Mafia story, you’re reminding your players that beneath the fedoras and cigars, they’re still animals. They stalk, they hide, they chase, and they eat.
And somewhere, someone’s always hunting them back. 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.

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