Cola Wars

Players take the role of competing cola marketers in the 1980s, running a startup brand over a multi‑year campaign to win market share. Play proceeds in yearly rounds during which players allocate budget, hire executives, run ad campaigns, secure retail distribution, sign celebrity endorsers, and use market research or corporate tactics to position their brand on two battlefields: Head Space (consumer associations like Sports or Taste) and Shelf Space (where shoppers encounter the product such as Fast Food or Movieplexes). At year end dice determine what consumers are thinking about and where they shop; matching both battlefields earns market share tokens that are tracked on a central bar graph. Money is granted each year but does not carry over, so budgeting and timing are central to success.

Players: 1–4 best 4
Playing time: 90–120 min
Age: 14+
Complexity: 3 / 5