CHURN & BURN
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    Strategy cards

    All 12 cards used in the game. Each round, pick one from each category.

    ACQUISITION (A1–A4)
    A1
    Ad Blitz

    Flood the market with paid ads. Maximum reach, maximum spend.

    Cost$20,000
    New Users+500
    CPI$40
    Rds 5–6$40,000
    A2
    Influencer Push

    Partner with creators for targeted reach. Mid-range efficiency.

    Cost$12,000
    New Users+250
    CPI$48
    Rds 5–6$24,000
    A3
    Smart Targeting

    Precise audience targeting. Few users, but lower total spend.

    Cost$6,000
    New Users+100
    CPI$60
    Rds 5–6$12,000
    A4
    Go Organic

    Word of mouth only. No spend, but barely any growth.

    Cost$0
    New Users+20
    CPIFree
    Rds 5–6$0

    CPI (Cost Per Install) — the price you pay for each new user. Lower CPI = more efficient spending.

    RETENTION (R1–R4)
    R1
    Abandon Ship

    Ship it and forget it. No maintenance, no loyalty.

    Base ret.20%
    Cost$0
    R2
    Basic Upkeep

    Patch bugs, daily login bonus. Bare minimum effort.

    Base ret.40%
    Cost$2,000
    R3
    Engage & Delight

    Weekly events, social features. Players have reasons to return.

    Base ret.60%
    Cost$5,000
    R4
    World-Class LiveOps

    Seasons, guilds, leaderboards, UGC. The full stack.

    Base ret.80%
    Cost$10,000

    Retention rate — % of users from previous round that will be retained this round. High retention compounds over time, but the best LiveOps costs.

    MONETIZATION (M1–M4)
    M1
    Squeeze Every Penny

    Interstitials, pay-to-skip. Maximum extraction, maximum churn.

    Rev/user$80
    Ret. mod.-30%
    M2
    Balanced Approach

    Battle pass, rewarded ads, IAP. Earns well without killing retention.

    Rev/user$50
    Ret. mod.-10%
    M3
    Player-Friendly

    Opt-in ads, cosmetics only. Players like you; revenue is modest.

    Rev/user$30
    Ret. mod.0%
    M4
    Generous Free Model

    Almost free, monetize via tips. Players love you; investors don't.

    Rev/user$15
    Ret. mod.+5%

    ARPU (Average Revenue Per User) — how much each user generates. M1 looks incredible at $80/user, but it slashes retention by 30%. Paired with R1, effective retention is -10%, clamped to 0%. Every user churns.