On Friday October 8 and Saturday October 9, hundreds of game store and comic shop owners, managers and employees converged on Ft. Wayne, IN's Grand Wayne Center for the 2010 Alliance Open House.

Sponsored by Mayfair Games, Bastion Studios, Closet Nerd Games, Glowfly Games, Posthuman Studios, Wildfire Games, Wizards of the Coast, WizKids/NECA, Cryptozoic Entertainment, the Game Manufacturers Association (GAMA), Days of Wonder and Queen Games, the event offered attendees a chance to learn more about upcoming products from dozens of suppliers, meet with Alliance and Diamond personnel, learn  “Better Retailing” tips at educational workshops, “play-test” games at fun and informative demos, check out products up close in a vast Exhibit Hall, and swap stories with fellow retailers.

The Open House kicked off with a Demo-2-Demo session (one of two) by Mayfair Games representatives, giving pre-registered participants opportunities to try some of the vendor's numerous games, such as Toledo. Then, Fantasy Flight Games introduced their plans for 2010 and beyond, giving lucky shopkeepers invaluable information they can use in their stores to order, promote and upsell FFG's products. Afterward, Wizards of the Coast enlightened retailers on the value of the Wizards Play Network, which can make almost any store THE destination spot for great game play in their communities.

Throughout Friday afternoon, attendees could also participate in Open Gaming at Days of Wonder's Game Demo Area, trying out Role-Playing Games, Customizable Card Games, Board Games and more with their peers and representatives from the game manufacturers. Retailers and suppliers then met in the center's Anthony Wayne Ballroom for Dinner, Door Prize drawings, a silent Charity Auction – benefiting the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, The Hero Initiative or ProLiteracy – as well as a live auction presided over by Steve Jackson himself, which brought $1000 from Northfield, NJ's Jester's Playhouse for an appearance on a Munchkin bookmark and its original art by John Kovalic. Plus, presentations by Bastion Studios and WizKids, and a massive demo of Mayfair Games' Family Business, which each person at dinner received a copy of to take home. Following dinner and the demo, Open Gaming resumed, enhanced by an Open Bar.

The fun resumed bright and early at Saturday's Breakfast, with presentations by Cryptozoic Entertainment and Sandstorm Productions (representing sponsors Closet Nerd Games, Glowfly Games, Posthuman Studios, and Wildfire Games). Retailers were also rewarded with more great Door Prizes and presented with another opportunity to bid in the Charity Auction.

Following Breakfast, the Exhibit Hall was opened for attendees, where dozens of Alliance and Diamond suppliers displayed their product lines, ran demos, and previewed upcoming releases. Door Prize drawings in the Exhibit Hall disseminated a wealth of treasures donated by suppliers to over 100 lucky retailers, adding to the swag given away at meals by the event's supporters, including limited edition or exclusive comics from Dark Horse Comics (Star Wars: Knight Errant #0), IDW Publishing (Dungeons & Dragons #1 Module Edition) and Marvel Comics (Invincible Iron Man #25 Foil-o-Gram).

Lunch gave attendees the opportunity to hear how the Game Manufacturers Association, or GAMA, could help them better run their stores by explaining many of the organization's programs, initiatives and goals. And, in the final mealtime presentation, Wizards of the Coast presented more details about the Wizards Play Network and revealed a few other programs and products in the works, including the Deck Builder’s Toolkit, Free Sample Decks and the upcoming “Walk-Through” Demo Kits. 

After the last of the Door Prizes were handed out, the presentations concluded and the food devoured, the Charity Auction was concluded, raising a combined total of $3681 for the three charities, exceeding the amount raised at the Chicago Retailer Summit² in April by $583! Top items purchased included uncut sheets of Magic: The Gathering cards (donated by Wizards of the Coast; a Japanese language sheet went for $365 alone); limited edition prints from fantasy artist Larry Elmore, including “Castle of Deception,” which brought $205; and limited edition Legend of the Five Rings books, cards, and counters from AEG, nine Clan subsets which scored a combined $315!

As attendees left the Anthony Wayne Ballroom for more Open House events, they were handed a free Web of Spider-Man “Buy-it-by-the-Brick” figure from WizKids’ Marvel HeroClix line. This miniature masterpiece recreates Jack Kirby’s iconic cover to Amazing Fantasy #15, the first appearance of the Friendly Neighborhood Webslinger.

Saturday's “Better Retailing” Workshops featured informative insights into consumer behavior from Scott Thorne, PhD, owner of Castle Perilous Games & Books and an instructor at Southern Missouri State University. Thorne's presentation, “The Decider – How Your Customers (and Everyone Else) Decide What to Buy,” looked at how decision-making works and how retailers can influence the process. Then, Thorne and Rainy Day Games' Scott Ellis provided facts, figures and fresh ideas on “Social Media: Boosting Business with Today's Online Technology,” discussing Facebook, Twitter, blogging, websites and much more.

Appropriately, a final round of Open Gaming closed out the 2010 Alliance Open House, reinforcing for attendees what they already knew – that games are a tried and true way to build community, attract a diverse crowd, and make money while having a ball.