WizKids Games Con In Your Store Kits

Host a “Convention” in your store for your customers!  As its name implies, Con In Your Store brings the convention experience (except the long lines perhaps) to participating friendly local game and comic shops by offering both desirable participation and competitive prizes as well as for-sale exclusives.  There are three levels by which stores can participate in the Con In Your Store program, each with more content than the last, allowing stores to scale the in-store convention experience to the size they want.  This particular Con In Your Store program is an Alliance Games Distributor-exclusive program wherein stores purchase a quantity of designated product at different tiers and then receive, at no additional cost, their Con In Your Store kit(s), each containing a number of participation and competitive prizes, and for-sale exclusives.  Quick Links: How does my store participate in Con In Your Store? How does my store get the Con In Your Store kits? How do I qualify for a Big Kit? How do I qualify for a Huge Kit? How do I qualify for an Enormus Kit? How does my store participate in Con In Your Store?  Stores must be registered in the WizKids Event System (WES) to participate in the Con In Your Store program.  We’ve uploaded special event templates for both HeroClix and Star Trek Attack Wing specifically for this program, each with a “CIYS” prefix to designate them as part of the Con In Your Store program.  The Con In Your Store kits will arrive in stores on July 30th, 2014.  Stores can schedule their CIYS events in the WES now, and run them anytime between August 1st and August 30th, 2014.  Scheduled CIYS events will show up in a special Con In Your Store search function within the WES, so players will be able to find participating stores based upon proximity to their location!  BE SURE TO SCHEDULE YOUR EVENTS! Otherwise, your store may not show up when players look for a participating store. How does my store get the Con In Your Store kits? Stores interested in the Con in Your Store program should speak with their Alliance sales rep and place an order for qualifying WizKids product.  You can see the list of WizKids Qualifying Product here. As we mentioned before, the Con In Your Store kits will arrive in stores on July 30th, 2014.  As we mentioned before, there are three levels of the program: the “Big” Con In Your Store kit (WZK 71836), the “Huge” Con In Your Store kit (WZK 71837), and the “ENORMOUS” Con In Your Store kit (WZK 71838). Big Kit: Each qualifying retailer who purchases at least $250 of wholesale WizKids product (specified in the downloadable list above) should receive one (1) WizKids Games Con In Your Store 2014 Big Kit, while supplies last. Each WizKids Games Con In Your Store 2014 Big Kit gets the retailer: • One (1) WizKids Games 10 Ct. Brick of Marquee or Free Comic Day Figures for use as Participation Prizes. This will be a randomly selected 10 Ct. Brick from a pool of available Marquee and/or Free Comic Book Day figures. • Two (2) “surprise and delight” figures for use as First Place and Fellowship Prizes. “Surprise and delight” figures will be randomly selected from a pool of convention figures and/or chase figures. Huge Kit: Each qualifying retailer who purchases at least $500 of wholesale WizKids product (specified in the downloadable list above) should receive one (1) WizKids Games Con In Your Store 2014 Huge Kit, while supplies last. Each WizKids Games “Con In Your Store” Huge Kit contains: • Two (2) WizKids Games Con In Your Store 2014 Big Kit • One (1) of each of the 2012 Holiday HeroClix Figures, and one (1) Khan Exclusive Promo Set • Two (2) random 2012 HeroClix Convention Promo Figures • One (1) random 2013 HeroClix Convention Promo Figure Enormous Kit: Each qualifying retailer who purchases at least $1000 of wholesale WizKids product (specified in the downloadable list above) should receive one (1) WizKids Games Con In Your Store 2014 ENORMOUS Kit, while supplies last. Each WizKids Games “Con In Your Store” ENORMOUS Kit contains: • Three (3) WizKids Games Con In Your Store 2014 Big Kit • One (1) of each of the 2012 Holiday HeroClix Figures, and one (1) Khan Exclusive Promo Set • Four (4) random 2012 HeroClix Convention Promo Figures • Two (2) random 2013 HeroClix Convention Promo Figures • One (1) of each of the 2013 Holiday HeroClix Figures (not previously released) • One complete set of War of Light Construct Promos (56 pieces) Stores receiving the Con In Your Store Big, Huge, or Enormous kits may order up to 12 of each of the following for-sale exclusives (while supplies last): Marvel HeroClix: Shuma Gorath exclusive colossal figure DC HeroClix: Trinity of Sin exclusive team base  Marvel HeroClix: Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends exclusive team base   Marvel HeroClix: Captain America Sentinel exclusive colossal figure The four exclusive figures above can be sold during a store’s Con In Your Store event with no restrictions! Kits are not covered by the WizKids Promotional Product Licensing Agreement (PPLA). Stores are strongly encouraged to make the most of this exciting opportunity to access exclusive content by using it to promote events at their venue. Visit the HeroClix website for the full list of details regarding Con In Your Store!

2014 Origins Award Winners!

The Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design is pleased to announce the 2014 Origins Award Winners!

The awards are presented by the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design to companies for outstanding games in the industry. For the 40th Annual Award cycle, the Awards had 13 categories: Best Roleplaying Game, Best Roleplaying Supplement, Best Board Game, Best Traditional Card Game, Best Family, Party or Children’s Game, Best Gaming Accessory, Best Miniatures Rules, Best Miniature Figures Line, Best Historical Board Game, Best Historical Miniature Rules, Best Historical Miniature Figures Line, Best Game-Related Publication, and Best Collectible Card Game.

Congratulations to this year's Origins Awards winners!

Best Roleplaying Game

Numenera (PSI MCG001) - Monte Cook Games

Forge the Future from Remnants of the Past! From award-winning author and game designer Monte Cook comes Numenera, a science fantasy roleplaying game set in the far distant future where humanity thrives on the Ninth World - a society created amid the remnants of eight great civilizations that have risen and fallen on Earth. This new world is filled with remnants - known as the numenera - of all the former worlds: bits of nanotechnology, the dataweb threaded among still-orbiting satellites, bio-engineered creatures, and myriad strange and wondrous devices. Explore a world of mystery and danger to piece together your destiny from artifacts of the past in Numenera!

Best Roleplaying Supplement

A Song Of Ice & Fire RPG: Night's Watch (GRR 2709) -

Green Ronin Publishing

Though the Great Houses and their vassals play the eternal Game of Thrones, there are some who do not. The men of the Night's Watch guard the immense and icy Wall, built in the ancient days of Westeros to hold back the terrible things of the Long Night. Once a mighty cohort of brave knights and lords who gave up everything to protect the Seven Kingdoms from the predators of the Far North, the Night's Watch is now a rag-tag band of thieves, murderers, and those who ran afoul of the political machinations of their enemies. When the wildlings stir on the other side of the Wall, and the cold winds rise once more, will they be enough to save Westeros? Night's Watch gives you everything you need add this once noble order to your A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying chronicle. It includes rules for playing men of the Night's Watch and wildlings alike, as well as new information about the mysterious Others. Pray, men of the green lands, for Winter is Coming!

Best Board Game

Trains (AEG 5801) - Alderac Entertainment Group

Manage Modern Railways! The railways of today are amazing things and bullet trains, freight trains, and more keep entire countries running. From transporting the populace to carrying essential materials, trains play an integral part in a nation's power and economic development. In Trains, players start with a small set of cards, but by building a more effective deck throughout the game, they will be able to place stations and lay rails over the maps of Osaka or Tokyo. Gain enough points from your railways and you will ultimately manage the most powerful railroads in modern Japan! This English Edition of Trains, designed by Hisashi Hayashi, features updated graphics, artwork, and streamlined card abilities. With extensive replay value, Trains is one game you won't want to leave the station without!

Best Collectible Card Game

Pokemon TCG: Black & White - Legendary Treasures (PUI 10846-D) - The Pokemon Company

Legends lost are recovered, buried treasures are found, and in the Pokemon TCG: Black & White Legendary Treasures expansion, Pokemon as you've never seen them will dazzle you! Discover new Pokemon-EX, as well as the return of mighty champions. Find new Trainer cards to revolutionize your battle strategy! Command your forces and drive onward to victory! Locate the scattered jewels of the Radiant Collection! And, above all, hunt for the golden glimmers that signify an amazing find! 10 cards per pack / 36 packs per display.

Best Traditional Card Game    

Love Letter (AEG 5104) - Alderac Entertainment Group

All of the eligible young men (and many of the not-so-young) seek to woo Princess Annette of Tempest. Unfortunately, she has locked herself in the palace, and you must rely on others to bring your romantic letters to her. Will yours reach her first? Love Letter is a game of risk, deduction, and luck for 2-4 suiters.

Best Children’s Family, Party Game

Tales & Games: The Three Little Pigs (IEL 51110) - Iello

A Family Game With a Classic Tale! As a little pig, your dearest wish is to build a strong and beautiful house in which you can spend your long winter evenings. But you won't need trowels nor scaffoldings, as only dice will allow you to construct your dream home. But, beware the wolf prowling around, whose only thought is to literally blow away your comfy house!

Best Game Accessory

Space Gaming Mat - HC+D Supplies

Best Miniature Figure Rules

Marvel HeroClix: Avengers Vs. X-Men Starters (WZK 71067) -

WizKids Games

 The Marvel HeroClix: Avengers vs. X-Men – X-Men Starter comes with six X-Men HeroClix SwitchClix figures (not found anywhere else!) and character cards, custom X-Men dice, custom AvX action tokens, object and terrain tokens, HeroClix core rulebook, HeroClix Powers and Abilities card and two maps

Best Historical Miniature Figure/Line

Fate of a Nation: Arab Israeli Wars - Battlefront Miniatures

Best Historical Board Game

Birth of America: 1775 - Rebellion (PSI AYG5375) - Academy Games

The second game in the Birth of America series, 1775 - Rebellion depicts the struggles of the American Revolution as players control the British Redcoats, English Loyalists, American Patriots, Native Americans, Hessian Germans ,and the French. Included is a mounted map board depicting the 13 colonies, Nova Scotia and Quebec, wooden playing pieces, and multiple scenarios.

Best Historical Miniature Rules

Fields of Fire (2nd Edition) - Proving Ground Games

                         Best Miniature Figure Line                     

Malifaux: The Guild’s Judgement (WYR 20101) - Wyrd Miniatures

Best Game Related Publication

TableTop - Will Wheaton, Felicia Day

Changes Incoming for Game Trade Magazine!

Game Trade Magazine will be making some changes in the upcoming issues. As you may already know, we've decided to spruce-up our look! Starting with the July issue GTM will be printed entirely on full-gloss paper stock. It's our belief that this upgrade will increase the overall quality and appearance of our magazine and, in turn, make it a more appealing reading experience for you, our loyal readers.

Even more exciting news, GTM be putting in new exclusive inserts into our issues.The first release under the new  program is Mayfair Games' Limited Edition Promo Expansion Set #8, which contains a promotional game piece for expansions for Mad City, Station Master and Zen Garden.  Mayfair will release several more over the coming months, with promo expansions in each release from both bestsellers and new games.

Best of the Game Trade Awards 2014!

Are you ready for this year's Best of the Game Trade Awards? In a week's time, Alliance will start accepting submissions for the seven categories listed above! The awards will be voted on by retailers online and awarded at this year’s Alliance Open House, September 7-8, in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Winners are not required to be present to accept the awards. 

- To be nominated, submit three (3) photos and up to 150 words per award category. Submit information to promo@alliance-games.com with subject line titled, “BotGT Awards Submission – Retailer/Store name”, so submissions are not to be overlooked.
- Include name of submitter, store name, contact information, store location, and clear identification of categories being entered.
- Deadline is July 18th, 2014.
- Voting takes place online and winners will be announced at Open House dinner function. Nominees are not required to be present at the 2014 Alliance Open House to win the awards.

Important WizKids Event System Announcement!

The WES is dead. Long live the new WES!

As noted in one of Justin Ziran’s recent open letters, we have been hard at work on a ground-up rebuild of the WizKids Event System (the “WES”) and the WizKids Product Replacement System (the “WRS”). We are excited to announce that we are rolling out the initial release of the new WES and WRS on Monday, June 9th, 2014. As part of this release we have ported over the data for all stores, events, and players from the old systems as well as the store locator to make for as smooth a transition as possible. As such you should be able to log in with your current credentials on Monday. Please note: We will be taking the old WES down for maintenance on Monday morning to start the transition. We’re hoping to have the new WES back up in the afternoon. We apologize for the inconvenience.

So What’s New?

For now, the new WES and WRS aim to replicate the same functionality of the old systems in a more intuitive and efficient manner. The goal is to make these systems easier to use and speed up your interaction with the system. The WES, in particular, will include some great new refinements and makes it easier to find events and stores, and for store owners and volunteers to report their events.
As a Player, in addition to the features from the old system, you now will be able to…

• Follow your favorite stores to keep up to date with them
• Select an option to be notified when your favorite stores host a new event
• Select an option to receive reminders about upcoming events for which the player has registered
• Find players by email or last name and look at their player profile (based on their privacy settings)
• Adjust privacy settings for your profile information to control what you share with other users

As a Store, in addition to the features from the old system, you now will be able to…

• Select an option to be notified when a new player “follows” or “likes” your store
• Select an option to be notified when a new player registers for an event at your store
• We have prepared tutorials for all the major portions of the site, to show how the new sites handles the features from the old systems.

What’s next?

The new WES and WRS are going to serve as foundations for some exciting new features coming soon. Here are some examples of some great new features for the WES.
Soon Players will…

• be able to earn achievements based on participating in and winning events, volunteering for venues, and more
• be ranked on a leaderboard based on their win/loss record and points earned from their achievements
• have a gamer-tag with a player avatar and extended profile that will show achievements and leaderboard rank
• be able to form teams with other players and compete in team based rankings
• be able to follow other players and receive notifications when they participate in or win an event
• send messages to other players (based on their privacy settings)

Soon Stores will…

• be able to earn achievements based on hosting and reporting events and growing their player base
• have a store profile that will show their achievements, images, and more
• be able to upload images of their store and past hosted events to their store profile
• send messages to volunteers and players that are following the store (based on their privacy settings)

What if something goes wrong?

As with any new system rollout, we can’t guarantee that there wont be some minor glitches. We are doing our best to ensure this doesn’t happen. Moreover, we are making sure that the database for the old system will remain intact, to avoid any data loss. If you encounter any trouble with the WES or the WRS, please send an email to support@mfv.com and we’ll do our best to resolve the issue in a timely fashion.
Thank you as always for your continued interest and support.  Please join us Monday as we usher in an all-new era for the WES and WRS!

-The WizKids Games Team