Zoo York

Zoo York is an idea for a game I’ve had for a while now. I haven’t found the real fleshed out rules I want to use, but the concept seems sound. Its very much influenced by a lifelong love of the Ninja Turtles.

The Pitch

A section for the GM to present to players.

Your character is a martial artist, brawler, or fighter who has come to New York City in the last few years. Training and living with one goal in mind: be good enough to compete in and win the prestigious 1994 WMA (World Martial Arts) tournament. After moderate success at the NYC regional tournaments, THE Denzel Bishop, has asked you to join his new team of up and comers. All you know is, he manages X-Attack, one of the most popular WMA teams around, and if you can get attached to one of his projects, you are sure to get noticed somewhere. After a couple of try-out days at his state of the art gym, you made the cut. Bishop has arranged for you, and your new team (the rest of the players), to compete in this year’s WMA NE Select. The biggest tournament in the Northeast region, and your first invitation only tournament.  

The Rules

I haven’t found great rules for this yet. Right now, I’m looking at the following, but would love some feedback about alternatives.

We are using the Streetfighter the Storytelling Game as the core rulebook. We will use the bulk of the system used for the most part as is.

• If you want an easier to read version of the rules, with supplements stripped of fluff and condensed, this fan supplement is the thing to use. http://sfrpg.com/wp-content/uploads/Street-Fighter-TSG-20th-Anniversary.pdf
• This website has some great and helpful content, like fancy character sheets. http://sfrpg.com/ 
• This link is to The G-File, a fan supplement of expansion material. http://sfrpg.com/g-file/

House Rules

• Don’t take:.B.L.E.C.E background, Programming Style, Senjutsu Style. Don’t all take the Cyborg background (one at most).
• Everyone Gets: 5 Dots free in Animal Hybrid except as noted below. 

Hybrid Animal Stats

• Attributes: Distributed as normal. 
• Abilities: No penalty or limits. 
• Advangages: You don’t get animal companions or athletics for free. 
• New Basic Maneuvers: You gain all 3, bite, tail slash and claw. You can swap tail slash for a horn attack (using tail slash stats) as desired. 
• Natural Abilities: You are all Bestial Hybrids with 5 dots. As such, you can select 2 natural abilities.
• New natural ability. Attribute Increase: Increase one of your attributes by 1. 
• Controlling the Animal Side: Ignore this. 

Plot Outline

An outline of the plot players may want to skip. It mostly sets up the actual adventuring portion of the game, but contains some probably expected twists.

On the day before the tournament, the group is hanging and chilling at NY Zoo for a day of relaxation. Bishop is there along with Pandora, his assistant. She is working through where to show up, what time, handing out registration info and planning logistical details over lunch while he is talking to someone off in the distance on his phone. As she finishes, there is a flash of neon purple light, and an ear shattering sonic boom. 

The PCs wake up in the sewers, as Animoids. They realize months have gone by, and the only thing anyone is talking about is the hordes of Animoids wreaking havoc on the city. The PCs suddenly hear Bishop’s voice in their head, relieved. Bishop does the “I knew you weren’t dead, I need your help” thing. Leading them to the now quarantined zoo’s Aquatic Exhibit. They find their way to him only to discover he is an orca animoid floating in a tank. He is now able to communicate with his sonar and map the whole city, but is confined to the waters of his tank. Pandora, has retrofitted the whole area, acting as his hands. He has done some research and it looks like CRTC is behind the explosion. They were doing secret research into banned tetra-radiation which went wrong, exploding and causing waves of mutations. Police have been militarized and set to shoot on site for animoids, but the CRTC funds the police expansions and won’t investigate or stop themselves. It’s up to the PCs! 

Factions

• Cybernetics Research and Technology Corporation (CRTC): The megacorp secretly conducting Tetra-radiation research that went wrong. In the wake of the explosion, they are donating a lot of high tech equipment to the police.
• Human Brotherhood: This is a new group, still in formation after the explosion. Groups of angry humans upset that the police aren’t doing more to drive the animoids from the city, they have taken the law into their own hands.
• The Pride: Prior to the explosion, this stylish gang had the coolest cars, clothes, and clubs. Known for flashing cash and living big, The Pride hasn’t seen much change since transitioning into a bunch of lion animoids.
• The Ark: A group of humans and animoids providing shelter to those cast from their homes, and in need of a place to stay. Due to the sheer volume of needs, they often clash with other factions, both legal and otherwise.
• The Scimmia Family: An old crime family trying to maintain their hold on the underworld in the light of the new animoid situation. Made doubly hard, as the patriarch and his sons have been changed into a collection of simian animoids.
• X-Attack: Bishop’s old lead crew, and the nations most popular fight team X-Attack has managed to stay above the Animoid controversy, and uses their new forms to take their WMA success to a new level.