Starting Monday Wizards of the Coast began sending free Dreamblade demo kits to more than 6,000 retailers nationwide.  The kits contained complimentary Dreamblade starter sets, laminated dreamscape maps, checklist posters, promo minis plus some additional merchandising material.

WotC is also planning a major consumer advertising effort to launch the game, a campaign that will include full page Dreamblade ads running through the remainder of 2006 in InQuest, Scrye, Wizard, Toy Fare, Games Quarterly Magazine, Game Trade and in select Dark Horse Comics titles.  In addition to these regular display ads, WotC is planning 8-page gatefold ads for InQuest, Scrye and Toy Fare. 

Wizards is also inserting Dreamblade CD-Roms containing an interactive Flash demo of the game into 85,000 issues of InQuest Gamer (on-sale August issue).  Web advertising for the new Dreamblade game includes keyword optimized ads on major online search engines that will run through the remainder of 2006.

WotC will also create a major Dreamblade presence at major consumer events through the rest of 2006 including GenCon Indy, GenCon SoCal, the Penny Arcade Expo, and Dragon Con.

ICv2 has already reported on the extensive organized play program WotC is planning for Dreamblade, which kicks off with a $20,000 launch tournament at GenCon Indy (see 'A Major OP Program for Dreamblade').  Wizards plans to give out over a half a million dollars in prize money annually via the various levels of Dreamblade tournaments and from the first day of its launch Dreamblade will only be surpassed by the Magic Pro Tour and Upper Deck's Vs. Pro Circuit for level of prize support.