“Empire Builders” – A Board Game Simulation for Senior Leaders

Client

Context

A leading Mumbai-based real estate developer partnered with our team to design a bespoke board game simulation for its senior leadership cohort. The organization wanted to move beyond classroom training and immerse its leaders in a real-world, high-stakes decision-making experience—mirroring the complexity, ambiguity, and interdependencies of large-scale real estate projects.

Client

Objective

The core objective of the simulation was to:

“Provide senior leaders a safe environment to test strategic decisions under pressure and to experience the consequences of those decisions—while learning to make the best of them.”

The simulation was designed to sharpen strategic thinking, financial acumen, cross-functional collaboration, and adaptive leadership.

Participant Profile

26 Senior Leaders across Sales, Marketing, Design, Customer Service, and Legal functions
Divided into 5 cross-functional teams, ensuring diversity of perspectives and decision styles

Program Design & Structure

Pre-Game Learning: Decision-Making Framework

The two-day program began with a focused learning session on structured decision-making frameworks — highlighting how leaders can separate instinctive reactions from analytical reasoning, assess trade-offs, and stay aware of cognitive biases.

Round 1: The Land Bid Battle

The simulation opened with the thrill of a live land auction.
Teams analyzed three detailed land parcels — a Thane township, a Versova coastal stretch, and a Matunga redevelopment project — complete with market data, absorption trends, and comparable benchmarks.
Each team submitted confidential bids balancing ambition and prudence.
Only the highest reasonable bids were rewarded, reinforcing the idea that “bold doesn’t mean reckless.”

Round 2: Portfolio Design & Financial Modelling

Once parcels were allotted, teams shifted to portfolio strategy.
Using information cards on customer behavior, pricing benchmarks, construction costs, and payment milestones, teams designed their product mix and financial models—working out key metrics like IRR, NPV, and sales velocity.

At the end of the day, they received an overnight challenge:

“Build a customer-facing pitch for your project using AI tools.”

The next morning, creativity exploded. Teams came back with jingles, skits, mock video ads, and investor-style presentations—turning complex financial logic into compelling storytelling.

Round 3: Market Shocks & Resilience

The calm didn’t last long.
Round 3 introduced “Market Movers” cards—simulating real-world disruptions like government policy changes, cost escalations, and competitor moves.
Teams had to revisit their assumptions, tweak levers like price, velocity, and cost, and submit revised IRRs under pressure.
This round tested financial agility, composure, and team consensus-building.

Round 4: Reimagining the Buyer’s Journey

In the final round, teams were challenged to walk in their customer’s shoes.
They experienced the real buyer site-visit journey, identified friction points, and then redesigned the end-to-end experience on chart papers — from first contact to post-purchase engagement.

The exercise was an eye-opener. Many leaders realized how small touchpoints—like the way financials are presented or the tone of a sales rep—can shape buying confidence and brand trust.

The

Outcomes

Two teams stood out:

They built financially sound portfolios with realistic IRRs and PAT margins.
They designed feasible, empathetic solutions to reimagine the buyer experience.

The overall group demonstrated remarkable creativity, analytical depth, and cross-functional empathy.

Key Takeaways

Decision ownership matters — Once a decision is made, leaders must learn to work within its constraints, not keep revisiting it.
Collaboration beats hierarchy — Diverse teams surfaced more innovative and balanced solutions.
Creativity isn’t just for marketing — Even finance and legal leaders became storytellers when the challenge demanded it.
Resilience is built under pressure — The shock rounds simulated uncertainty in a way data alone never could.
Leadership is about sense-making — Making meaning from chaos, not waiting for perfect clarity.

Impact

Post-session feedback revealed:

95% participants rated the experience as “highly engaging and realistic.”
9 in 10 leaders said it changed how they approach decision-making under ambiguity.
The simulation also enhanced inter-departmental appreciation, breaking silos between business and support functions.

Closing Reflection

“It wasn’t just a game. It was like living a real project — the pressure, the excitement, the trade-offs. We learned to lead with clarity, empathy, and conviction.”
— Participant, Senior Vice President (Sales)