One Night in Bangkok (Targeted Robbing, Pt 3)

The third and final part of the Targeted Robbing series, which began last week, was always intended to focus on Bangkok. Developments in Las Vegas this week - the ability to trade/gift/Wishlist all the drop loot from that city - has added a twist, addressed at the end of this post.

If you missed Parts 1 and 2 of the Targeted Robbing series, you can read them at:
http://www.the-mafia-wars-guide.com/2010/10/i-love-new-york-targeted-robbing-pt-1.html
and
http://www.the-mafia-wars-guide.com/2010/10/diamonds-are-forever-targeted-robbing_11.html

Even before the changes in Las Vegas loot over the past few days, I had orignally intended to argue that Targeted Robbing is impractical in Bangkok.

Why? Because there is only one Property worth robbing - the Gambling Den. On the main robbing board you can get about B$15,000 for each den. When you go to Targeted Robbing on that player - IF THE PROPERTY CAN BE ROBBED - you can get B$9,500 per successful robbery.
But...the Gambling Den usually can't be robbed - through normal robbing OR Targeted Robbing. Scroll through some 9-Property boards in Bangkok on the Robbing/Steal From Properties screen and see how often the Gambling Den appears.

In New York, by contrast, you usually see either an Armory, Weapons Depot, or Chop Shop (or more than one)... signalling Targeted Robbing MAY be available.

Why is the Gambling Den harder to find on the main board, and - when you commence Targeted Robbing on that property - even harder to find with the meter showing that it's available to be robbed? Because Gambling Dens take 72 hours to refill - and if you don't hit it at the right time, you have to wait. Remember - you have to wait until the Property owner can collect on the Gambling Den - and doesn't - before you can ransack it through Targeted Robbing.

So more often than not, even if you hit a Gambling Den on the main board, you get this in the Targeted Robbing board:

Because of the 72 hour rule, you'll be spending a lot of Stamina just flipping through screens to FIND a Gambling Den, and spending more time finding one you can use for Targeted Robbing. By contrast, the Armory, Weapons Depot, and Chop Shop have 24 hour waiting periods - so there are 3x as many worthwhile properties in New York, with 1/3 the waiting period. Sounds like New York is a 9x better proposition for Targeted Robbing.

Back to Bangkok. When you finally find a Gambling Den that you can rob, consider this: At 15 stamina points apiece, and some losses along the way, Targeted Robbing of Gambling Dens never added up to a lot of Baht - when you need B$550,000 to get one Xiamen Tiger. Even the other top Faction Store items are EXPENSIVE.

The three items in the Faction Store still worth getting:




These items, however, are diminishing in value with the new ability to get high-end Vegas loot on your Wishlist, in trades, and from Mystery Bags. Slowly but surely, even these items will drop in your top 501 as you load up on Otto & Reinhardts (57 attack Armor), Cooling Vests (61 defense Armor), and Bighorns (64 defense Animal).

I had a different plan of action proposed when I set out last week to discuss Targeted Robbing. The ability to put Vegas loot on your Wishlist has changed that dramatically.

My proposal - and the course of action I've already taken - is:
1. Sell ALL of your Bankgok inventory (the weapons, armor, etc. that you had to buy to do jobs)
2. Buy as many Xiamen Tigers as you can afford
3. Let the income from your Properties accumulate and buy Xiamen Tigers as you go

It no longer makes sense to do jobs in Bangkok (unless you are finishing the city, of course), as the drop loot is far inferior to what's available - and giftable - in Las Vegas.

And Targeted Robbing was always impractical there since the one property worth robbing - the Gambling Den - has a 72 hour "gestation period" - and when you get all that Baht, you no longer be buying a top-tier Animal or Armor piece.

My original advice for Bangkok and Targeted Robbing was going to be "Stick with New York" - hence the "I Love New York" plug. I *was* going to propose that you do most of your FIGHTING in Bangkok, since the drop Loot - including Rhinoceros and Cougar - were among the best Animals. Again, Las Vegas developments have made that no longer true.

Now, Bangkok is nearly as dead as Moscow and Cuba in terms of loot. So if you have One Night in Bangkok, it may be your LAST night in Bangkok. (Don't forget to check your Properties regularly though...)

Bonus points for those who remember the #3 hit from Murray Head in 1984, "One Night in Bangkok" from the Broadway musical CHESS.


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