Becoming a MonsoonSIM facilitator for the first time can feel overwhelming—not because it’s difficult, but because there’s so much potential built into the platform. From our experience, most new facilitators just need a bit of guidance to get started. Once you’ve run your first game, the hesitation fades, and confidence takes over.
This guide is here to walk you through that first essential experience—from setting up a solo test game to running your first live session with students.
Warm-Up Session: The Facilitator Demo
Before involving students, we recommend running a warm-up simulation on your own. This helps you understand how the simulation works, how decisions flow through the system, and how to guide your learners more effectively.
Step-by-Step Setup
Create a new game from your facilitator account
Create three teams
Join one of the teams yourself as a learner
Assign robots to the other two teams
Enable the following modules:
Under FIN, enable Journal view
Simulation Walkthrough Using Step-Through Mode
On your learner screen:
Initialize the game
Observe the initial journal entries (e.g., paid-in capital, opening cash)
Explain that the PMN department has four staff, each costing 350 currency units per day
Step forward one day and show:
Salaries are paid
A journal entry is created
Operating expenses appear in the financial reports
The Data Explorer confirms the transaction
Step forward another day to demonstrate:
Continue with the retail setup:
Introduce the Retail module and store locations
Open a store and emphasize the importance of approving transactions
Step forward to confirm the store is now operational
Reconcile across all reports: journal, financials, and explorer
Next steps:
Procure products from the Retail → Procurement page
Approve the transaction and step forward
Observe unit sales, remaining inventory, journal updates, and revenue in the reports
Finally:
Learning Objectives
Gain a high-level understanding of the game
Explore core mechanics: store setup, rental, salary, and procurement
Experience the business cycle from purchase to sales
Understand how business decisions are recorded in journals and reports
Your First Live Game With Students
Now that you’re comfortable, it’s time to bring in your students for their first real session.
Facilitator Steps
Create a new game live in front of the students
Set up 2–3 teams (or as many as needed)
Ask students to log in to their MonsoonSIM accounts
Share the game link and allow students to select their teams
Reassign players as needed to balance the teams
Walk them through a few days using Step-Through mode, just like your demo
Reinitialize the game back to Day 0
Set up a simple scoring matrix (e.g., 50% revenue, 50% net profit)
Optionally show a short video from the Blue Book
Start the game clock:
Facilitator Tips During Live Play
Monitor the facilitator dashboard closely
Call out active players to encourage engagement
Frequently remind students to approve their transactions
Offer help if you notice confusion or hesitation
Debrief and Extension
After Day 10:
Open KPI dashboards and financial reports
Ask students to explain their strategies and the outcomes
Discuss what worked, what didn’t, and why
From here, you can:
Reinitialize the game to start fresh
Or continue and turn on additional modules like Forecast (FCS) or Marketing (MKT)
Let the game progress all the way up to Day 40, depending on your course timeline
Final Thoughts
Running your first MonsoonSIM game is not about getting everything perfect—it's about building familiarity and confidence. Once you’ve stepped through the game mechanics, observed how transactions affect the system, and led a live session, everything starts to click into place.
So don’t overthink it. Launch your first game, follow the steps, and you’ll quickly see how intuitive and impactful MonsoonSIM can be—not just for your students, but for you as a facilitator as well.
