Marcus King of Titan Games & Music in Battle Creek, Michigan, attended the Diamond Alliance Summit in Fort Wayne, Indiana this past weekend, and had such a good experience that he plans to stay longer next year:

Every year I attend the Diamond Alliance Retailer Summit in Fort Wayne, Indiana.  This year was no exception, though we did attend it a bit differently.  In the past we usually just showed up on Saturday Morning about 7:30, ate breakfast, listened to the presentation, and went to the exhibit hall and came home.  I mean, its only 90 minutes for us, so I figured I was saving some money not getting a hotel room.

This year, we did things a little differently.  My wife and I drove to Fort Wayne, and arrived at the Hilton and checked in about 4:30pm or so on Friday.  A nice room awaited us, and we relaxed before getting a dinner in the hotel bar and having a drink.  We got to the “open gaming room” where there was free soda, chips and a cash bar--and a dozen or so tables for demos and such.  We arrived there about 6:30--a bit early.

By 7:30pm we were watching a demo of Horus by Mayfair Games guru Bob Carty.  This is a game I don’t carry, but the players looked to be having a great time.  The tile and card game looked fun, though perhaps a bit less “structured” than I prefer.  Mayfair also did some demo games for Journey to the Center of the Earth!, a much more structured and exciting game, in my estimation.  Then again, I really like games with a static board, which is why I didn’t like Horus.  You actually “build” the board as you play the game,  which I imagine could be a lot of fun for some.

We had some fun and talked games and industry talk with Danny O’Neal, the Alliance Midwest Sales manager, and my rep, Sean.  We also got to rub elbows and talk shop with fellow retailers including Pat Fuge, Steve Ellis and Mark Craco, as well as others (hey, I did have a beer, so, I can’t remember everything!).

Colleen and I got to play two new games by Bucephalus Games:  Rorschach and Living Labyrinth, both of which we will be ordering in quantity for our store.  The "demo" was done by Anthony Gallela, the VP of Sales and Marketing at Bucephalus, and as always, Anthony taught the game in a very positive, fun manner.  I do feel both games have tremendous replay value.

Saturday morning we had a nice breakfast on the sponsors and hosts, and listened to some presentations by Alliance and Diamond personnel.  Once the “Q&A” started, Colleen and I left. Personally, I don’t like this part of the Summit, as it seems to prompt people into asking questions that would be best handled privately.  Why one retailer does not get their Doctor Who magazines ahead of everyone else does not interest me.

The exhibit hall was open, and we saw many nicely displayed games.  From our attendance at the summit, in addition to the Bucephalus Games, we will be ordering several other games we either had not hear of, or had actually decided to pass on, which we are now going to carry specifically because of the positive impression we got at the summit. 

These titles include:

Playbook Football, Bucephalus Games.

Munchkin Quest, Steve Jackson Games

Mutant Chronicles, FFG

Battlestar Galactica, FFG

Toledo, Mayfair Games

Of course, we got a pile of free stuff, lots of contact information and catalogs, and best of all, we got to visit with friends, fellow retailers and publishers alike.

Much fun!  Next year, I think we will stay the whole weekend, and attend the Alliance Warehouse tour and sale, as well.

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