From Peanut Rum to Gang Wars: Crafting TTRPG Heist Adventures for Zoo Mafia

From Peanut Rum to Gang Wars: Crafting TTRPG Heist Adventures for Zoo Mafia

Heists are the beating heart of Zoo Mafia—a world of clever critters, prohibition-era grit, and larger-than-life personalities. From stealing ledgers out from under a rival gang’s nose to hijacking

peanut-based booze shipments, every job is an opportunity for daring action, tense negotiations, and unpredictable consequences.

If you’re the Zookeeper (GM) trying to plan your next big caper, this guide will help you design thrilling, memorable heist adventures that stay true to Zoo Mafia’s unique blend of animal antics and noir crime drama.

1. Start with the Why

Every great heist needs a motivation. It could be:

• A payout: The gang needs peanuts or dough to settle debts or buy influence.

• Power: Weakening a rival like King Tom or Owl Capone.

• Revenge: A rival stole from them first, and now it’s personal.

• Pressure: A boss like Bunny Malone is calling in a favor.

Tie the job to the crew’s connections—make it feel necessary, not just lucrative. Even a small-time gig like cracking into the “Peanut Butter Reserve” can spiral if it’s owned by a bigger family.

2. Set the Scene with Style

This isn’t just any heist—it’s a Zoo Mafia heist. Think smoky rooms, jazz from a nearby speakeasy, and stacks of peanut-based contraband. Build your sessions around prohibition-inspired flavor:

• Locations with Character: The Velvet Burrow (a luxurious speakeasy), Riverway Trust & Savings (a bank with shady ties), or Benny’s (a greasy spoon with its own secrets).

• Colorful NPCs: Include flappers, bootleggers, shady accountants, and rogue zookeepers.

• Unique Currency: Use the Peanut Marker system (handful, bag, crate, barrel, vault) to tie economic decisions to stat-based rolls.

Make the world feel alive, from whispered backroom deals to newspaper headlines after the job.

3. Plan in Layers, Not Lines

Avoid a rigid step-by-step mission structure. Instead, present the players with:

• Intel Options: Blueprints, informants, or casing the joint.

• Multiple Entry Points: Sewer tunnels, bribed employees, or front-door bluffs.

• Complications: Security upgrades, double-crosses, or another crew with the same target.

Use Powered by the Apocalypse’s flexibility to your advantage—encourage creative solutions and treat failures as complications, not roadblocks.

4. Use the Crew’s Strengths

Each playbook shines in different heist roles:

• The Driver pulls off the slick getaway or rams the gate open.

• The Safecracker handles vaults, locks, and security.

• The Button brings firepower when things go loud.

• The Goon handles guards or brute-force entrances.

• The Grifter cons their way through staff or talks their way out of capture.

• The Lookout ensures the fuzz isn’t on their tail.

Design jobs where each character can contribute meaningfully—and reward inventive teamwork with juicy roleplay and mechanical benefits.

5. Escalate the Tension

Once the heist begins, the pressure should build:

• Clock-based mechanics (like “heat clocks” or “security timers”) create urgency.

• Use soft moves (complications, surveillance) before hard moves (alarms, ambushes).

• Introduce morally complex choices—steal the cash or save a kidnapped ally? Finish the job or blow the whole thing up?

Encourage chaos. It’s Zoo Mafia, not Ocean’s Eleven. Let it get messy.

6. Pay It Forward: What Comes Next?

No heist exists in a vacuum. After the dust settles, ask:

• Who did the crew anger?

• What did they miss?

• What new opportunity has opened up?

• Who now wants something from them?

Heists fuel the narrative—each one should echo forward, changing relationships, shifting power dynamics, and putting the crew deeper into the Zoo’s tangled web.

Final Tip: Let the Vibe Drive the Game

Heists in Zoo Mafia aren’t just about the score—they’re about the story that gets you there. Lean into noir tropes, animal personalities, and the wild tension of balancing the criminal underworld with keeping one paw out of the zookeeper’s line of sight. 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.

So load up the peanut dynamite, slick back your fur, and make sure your alibi is airtight—because tonight, the crew is making history in Whichever city or Zoo they call home. Thanks for reading. Until Next Time, Stay Nerdy!!