I, too, have played the beer game knowing the structure in advance (I
wouldn't want to claim to have a clear analytical understanding of the
whole structure, but I had both observed and played before, and had read
about the game in V). I agree that knowledge of the structure is not very
helpful if others are ignorant of it,but your knowledge *will* have impact
on the system if you are in the right position in the supply chain. The
retailer can have the most impact, followed by the brewery. This
phenomenon is known in everyday life as keeping your head while all around
you are losing theirs...