When Is It OK To Bonus Monkey?

[Gillipig]

Coming from someone who's good at 4 player esc games but bad at 6 player esc games, I can tell you that being a bonus monkey is the name of the game in most 4 player esc games.

[firsal901]

Coming from someone who's good at 4 player esc games but bad at 6 player esc games, I can tell you that being a bonus monkey is the name of the game in most 4 player esc games.

I'd agree to that.

[neanderpaul14]

I grew up playing escalating adjacent, usually 3-4 players & we always played for bonuses. I often wonder if I would beat my younger self.
Bonuses can help on big maps like ww2 europe or biggish unusual maps like aom even in 6-8 player games.

But would you beat yourself now?

[danryan]

I grew up playing escalating adjacent, usually 3-4 players & we always played for bonuses. I often wonder if I would beat my younger self.
Bonuses can help on big maps like ww2 europe or biggish unusual maps like aom even in 6-8 player games.

But would you beat yourself now?

Not any more.






Not any less either.

[betiko]

i think the strategy depends not only on the number of players, but their profile.
with noobs each one is going for a continent. after you can have noobs that sit and watch each other, or that try to take out each other's bonus. so with lesser experienced players i do get a continent bonus sometimes, or I just stack and wait for them to piss each other off.
with experienced players I always play 6 players so no bonus monkeys obviously; and with3-4 experienced players i might go for a bonus cause the trades go way slower, the bonuses are easier to get cause you have more of yours per continent as well.
anyway, it all depends on the number of players and the way they play..

[PBecquey]

New player here... noob, I guess. What exactly is a "bonus monkey"?

[chapcrap]

New player here... noob, I guess. What exactly is a "bonus monkey"?

They are referring to an escalating card game with a large number of players. Typically a bonus like Australia or something will not determine the winner of the game. The bonuses from the cards will get into the 30s, 40s, or even higher, so the small bonuses don't mean much.

A bonus monkey is someone who sacrifices too much to go after a bonus in these games.

[Gillipig]

i think the strategy depends not only on the number of players, but their profile.
with noobs each one is going for a continent. after you can have noobs that sit and watch each other, or that try to take out each other's bonus. so with lesser experienced players i do get a continent bonus sometimes, or I just stack and wait for them to piss each other off.
with experienced players I always play 6 players so no bonus monkeys obviously; and with3-4 experienced players i might go for a bonus cause the trades go way slower, the bonuses are easier to get cause you have more of yours per continent as well.
anyway, it all depends on the number of players and the way they play..

As shown in the conquer cup, 5 player games is also worth bonus monkeying in. A big gorilla in Australia ruled my game.

[puppydog85]

I realize my ranking is low, but I only take a bonus if it falls into my lap and I usually don't bother defending it I use the 2 rounds or so of bonuses to fort somewhere else in a more optimal area for cleaning people out. A bad idea?

[Geger]

I realize my ranking is low, but I only take a bonus if it falls into my lap and I usually don't bother defending it I use the 2 rounds or so of bonuses to fort somewhere else in a more optimal area for cleaning people out. A bad idea?

Not a bad idea. And you are not a Bonus Monkey

New player here... noob, I guess. What exactly is a "bonus monkey"?

They are referring to an escalating card game with a large number of players. Typically a bonus like Australia or something will not determine the winner of the game. The bonuses from the cards will get into the 30s, 40s, or even higher, so the small bonuses don't mean much.

A bonus monkey is someone who sacrifices too much to go after a bonus in these games.

[mr. CD]

Just wondering if you drop 3/4th of australia and can easily defend it for 2/3 turns, is it worth taking it?
It'd seem to me that it'd be worth the trouble to have it for 3 turns to build up and then move out before people start coming after you.

[laughingcavalier]

Just wondering if you drop 3/4th of australia and can easily defend it for 2/3 turns, is it worth taking it?
It'd seem to me that it'd be worth the trouble to have it for 3 turns to build up and then move out before people start coming after you.

This is OK. This is good. Even the Society of Cooks who hate bonuses would say this is ok.

[macbone]

Just wondering if you drop 3/4th of australia and can easily defend it for 2/3 turns, is it worth taking it?
It'd seem to me that it'd be worth the trouble to have it for 3 turns to build up and then move out before people start coming after you.

This is OK. This is good. Even the Society of Cooks who hate bonuses would say this is ok.

Yes, indeed! It's even part of the SoC training manual. =)

True Bonus Monkeys are players who throw everything they have into securing that one bonus, wearing themselves out in the process and making themselves easy targets for other players to take out.

But if you can take a bonus, hold it, keep your troop levels up, and have good position across the map, no problem. South America in particular on the Classic map is handy to hold onto, giving you access to North America and Africa. Australia's easier to hang onto, but South America's often a better staging ground for later attacks.

[BoganGod]

A bonus monkey is a muppet who will suicide and spend every troop he has, taking out other players stacks and feeding them to the next player. Just to secure australia on the classic map(a pissant little 2bonus) when the cash is up to 35. Don't laugh folks, I've seen this happen on more than a few occasions. I blame the modern education system that doesn't teach basic mathematics. A wet dream of mine is for all players in multi player standard esc games to have a working knowledge of the law of diminishing returns!

Generally when I take a bonus, it is more to distract any bonus monkeys in the game, knowing they will break their balls to bust my shit house little bonus, in the mean time they are ignoring the bigger picture.

[Iron Butterfly]

A bonus monkey is a muppet who will suicide and spend every troop he has, taking out other players stacks and feeding them to the next player. Just to secure australia on the classic map(a pissant little 2bonus) when the cash is up to 35. Don't laugh folks, I've seen this happen on more than a few occasions. I blame the modern education system that doesn't teach basic mathematics. A wet dream of mine is for all players in multi player standard esc games to have a working knowledge of the law of diminishing returns!

Generally when I take a bonus, it is more to distract any bonus monkeys in the game, knowing they will break their balls to bust my shit house little bonus, in the mean time they are ignoring the bigger picture.

BINGO

[Roussallier]

Usually I assume any territories on the small continents are lost from the inevitable bonus monkeys. I've seen them go for it when they only have one territory there and fights always break out there

[macbone]

It depends on the quality of players, too. In a game of mostly high rankers, terts in the small continents are usually safe, since players aren't likely to throw away troops trying to grab a bonus that's not going to affect the game very much. But yeah, in SoC games with a lot of lower ranked players, I usually don't drop on the small continents on the first few turns unless I know the players aren't going to be BMs.

[Criticalwinner]

I just about never go for a bonus unless I can grab it in that turn without losing more than 25% of my total troops.... I know I'm not the best player, but it's worked out decently for me.

[MossyMUFC]

erm... whats a bonus monkey? :/

[chapcrap]

erm... whats a bonus monkey? :/

I would answer that question again, but you can just go back and read the thread.

[arigatou]

The experienced players know that in the end who has the card cash bonus. Bearing in mind the game SOC teachings escalating.

[Dukasaur]

Some situations simply scream, "Please be a bonus monkey!"

[Gillipig]

Some situations simply scream, "Please be a bonus monkey!"

That's a team player game. Bonus monkeying have different dynamics in those games. I think most of us consider bonus monkeying a phenomena in large esc games.

[Dukasaur]

That's a team player game. Bonus monkeying have different dynamics in those games. I think most of us consider bonus monkeying a phenomena in large esc games.

Yes, you're absolutely right. But it was just the kind of pic that desperately wanted to be posted somewhere, and this thread seemed pretty close...

[xman5151]

I don't understand, how can anyone ever be a bonus monkey in a 4 player doubles game? It's basically a 1v1... in a 1v1 should I not take a bonus for fear of being a bonus monkey haha?