GTS Press Conference Overview, Arcane Wonders, Crystal Commerce

At the 2012 GAMA Trade Show, all press pass holders were required to attend a press conference on Thursday of the show, taking time away from covering the Exhibitors’ Hall. Several members of the press at the show did not attend. They missed out on a number of smaller game designers and publishers. This year Press Coordinator Erica Gifford made a number of improvements, starting with dropping the mandatory press conference. There was a Media Center in the Exhibitors’ Hall, drastically reducing time exhibitors were away from their booths, as well as a Press Room in the opposite side of Bally’s near the seminar rooms.

Another improvement was the variety in those speaking at the Press Conference, ranging from nervous first-time game designers to Cool Mini or Not director Dave Doust, Wizkids staff, and Osprey Publishing. While it’s questionable that the larger companies will get much benefit from the 5-10 minutes they spent addressing the assembled press, for the smaller presenters, it may have been their only opportunity to receive any media coverage. Unfortunately there are only 10 hours to scope out the 110 plus exhibitors for the two days that the Exhibitors’ Hall is open. Every year LivingDice.com tries to cover as many of the exhibitors present as possible, but several probably slip through the cracks.

The Press

As for the press, the following were at the Media Center on Thursday afternoon at 2 PM:

• Larry Dunne from Tyro Magazine
• Tom Vasel and Eric Summerer from The Dice Tower
• Milton Griepp from ICv2
• Scott Forster from Pulp Gamer
• And of course, Brant Polkowski from Craven Games

Meet the Press: ICv2, The Dice Tower, Pulp Gamer, and Tyro Magazine in the Flesh

That was it. While the quantity of press present might call for ironic quotations around “press conference”, the quality of those present perhaps made up for it. For the most part, there were no follow-up questions after the presenters talked about their game releases, which was another positive change from the previous year, when there seemed to be questions posed more out of politeness than any attempt to really gather information.

Arcane Wonders

Arcane Wonders: Byran Pope & Patrick Connor

Bryan Pope and Patrick Connor from Arcane Wonders provided an update on Mage Wars, which had its big release last August at Gen Con, selling over 15,000 copies to date. Pope had previously spoken at the 2012 GTS about the game when it was still in development, a five year process of figuring out and balancing the math for all the wizards and spells involved. The Force Master vs Warlord expansion came out in February and retails for $39.99. The Force Master’s spell book focuses on telekinesis and mind control while the Warlord excels at zone control. This summer Arcane Wonders will add a second expansion, releasing the Druid vs the Necromancer at Gen Con 2013 in August, also with a target price of $39.99.

The Mage Wars Organized Play kits are also doing very well with Arcane Wonders selling out of the first batch of them, despite printing twice as many as they thought they needed. Each kit comes with 36 gold foil promotional cards and costs retailers approximately $12 to order via their distributors. Players also impact the ongoing storyline set in the world of Etheria with their victories and losses, which are recorded and then compiled by Arcane Wonders. Arcane Wonders is also planning a spell book two-pack. This will allow aspiring mages to build multiple spell books. For example, a Beastmaster could have a hunter Beastmaster spell book, a shepherd Beastmaster spell book, or one built around the strategy of turtling. Another plan in the works is alternative artwork for mages, such as a Female Beastmaster, which will come in their next spell tome expansion. Each mage will also receive an alternative ability card, which may include one or two different abilities as well as possible stat changes.

Crystal Commerce

Crystal Commerce’s Anthony Gallela

Anthony Gallela from Crystal Commerce spoke next. Crystal Commerce’s ability to include singles, individual comic titles (including upcoming releases from Diamond Previews), and its integration with POS systems were some of the advantages he cited. Another service Crystal Commerce offers to gaming store clients is web hosting including a web storefront. Actual website design is also available for a fee, but the complimentary hosting includes a free template. Crystal Commerce will customize the template with a client’s logo for free. Crystal Commerce sites integrate with Amazon, eBay, and TCGPlayer. Retailers consequently only have one inventory to manage and the amount of work in inputting data is significantly reduced, down to just the item’s price to the end customer. Customers can also buy tickets or pay entry fees to events like Friday Night Magic using the Crystal Commerce software. They also have the option of in-store pickup for anything ordered online.

Crystal Commerce’s plans for the future include adding a purchase order system, exposing more sales data to retailers, and the launch of Point of Sale 3. Point of Sale 3 is currently in beta development, but will offer retailers a significantly more intuitive user interface, as well as the functionality for split payments, such as cash and credit cards, or cash and store credit. But what is Crystal Commerce and what does it actually do?

To answer that, I contacted Crystal Commerce after the GTS via their online sales chat feature and chatted with salesman Jerad Ellison. He clarified that Crystal Commerce is an e-commerce solution with a core strength in inventory integration. Rather than a store owner tediously inputting and managing separate sales information and pictures on Amazon, eBay, TCGPlayer, and the store’s own website, merchants can simultaneously control their product inventory across multiple platforms, including in-store sales. As Ellison put its, “We want to make the lives of our clients easier. If you have ever tried to list something on eBay or Amazon and keep an accurate inventory of one item selling in multiple spots you may understand.” Ellison also pointed out that Crystal Commerce offers retailers suggested prices for Magic singles as well. Crystal Commerce’s main selling point? “Basically, we do all the heavy lifting and try to free up game store owners to do what they do best, build relationships with their customers and sell awesome games.”