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Posts Tagged ‘Conventions’
Tuesday, September 14th, 2010
The Montreal Comic Con has come and gone and we had a blast! Our booth was set up, we sold a ton of awesome items and we got to meet fellow fans, see a bunch of geekdom celebrities and watch a parade of costumes stroll past! Here’s a look at our CMDStore/Toys on Fire booth!
On the day of the Con, the Gazette posted a great article about the events going down at Place Bonaventure!
If, like me, you’ve spent years wondering who would win if Batman and Spiderman pretended to fight using folding chairs and histrionics, then this weekend’s Montreal Comic-Con at Place Bonaventure is for you.
Featuring superhero wrestling by local pros, a costume masquerade and the chance to fire Nerf guns at Stormtroopers, imagine someone melted down the entirety of pop culture and used it to build an amusement park.
The convention, run by Alex La Prova and Oscar Yazedjian, is in its third year. The inaugural event drew about 800 people, but this year, La Prova expects between 5,000 and 6,000 people. “We actually expanded the show floor to close to 40,000 square feet … to accommodate all the extra events and the increase in popularity,” he said.
La Prova attributes the rising interest to the way comic books have infiltrated pop culture. “It’s video games, it’s toys, it’s (Hollywood). … Every big medium these days has a direct link and tie to comic books,” La Prova said.
As such, the event spans a wide variety of interests.
The time-travelling DeLorean from the Back to the Future films will be on display, Magic: The Gathering and Yu-Gi-Oh! Tournaments will be held, and special guests include the French voice cast of The Simpsons and horror hostess Elvira.
And, obviously, Star Wars. Along with appearances by actors Peter Mayhew, Billy Dee Williams and Maria de Aragon, the Con will be graced by the Quebec-based Imperial Fortress unit of the 501st Legion, an international Star Wars costuming group that makes appearances for charity. About 15 Fortress members will be appearing at the Con, member Stephen Beaupre says.
“We just got some Nerf guns, and we’re going to do a Stormtrooper shootout. So, if people want to give money, they’ll be able to blast at a Stormtrooper,” he explained.
But don’t expect to see any Jedi Knights, adds Beaupre, whose own costumes include a snowtrooper, bounty hunter Dengar and a clone trooper. “Some of us do Rebel stuff (on the side), but we don’t really talk about it.”
Of course, plenty of attention will be paid to comic pros, especially Montrealers.
“We like to (promote) local artists,” La Prova said. “They all have their tables to sketch and sign.”
“It’s nice to have a local Con,” artist Kelly Tindall added. “The fans get to know you after a while.”
Tindall, a Montrealer whose creations include paranormal investigator Archie Snow and webcomic That’s So Kraven, which replaces Raven Simone’s sitcom character with a Spiderman supervillain like a psychotic mash-up album, has attended several conventions and finds Montreal’s has its own unique charm.
“There’s not really anything like it here,” he said. “It’s a big draw for creators, too, because Montreal is such a lovely city.”
Tindall will spend the Con drawing fan requests of characters both popular and obscure, occasionally in bizarre situations.
“It’s like any other trade show, except instead of trying to hock your Shamwows, you get to draw pictures of an overweight Galactus, or Apocalypse and his four My Little Ponies.”
And don’t forget! Comic up NEXT in Montreal Cons is our very own event, the MONTREAL TOYCON, a convention where you can expect to get some great deals on awesome items from Bakugan to NHL Hockey, Beyblade to the DC Universe. It all goes down October 17th, 2010 and you can check out the Official ToyCon site for more details!
Tags: CMDStore, Conventions, Montreal Comic Con, Toys on Fire
Posted in Toys on Fire Ottawa | No Comments »
Sunday, June 6th, 2010
 So last weekend was Anime North and for the first time ever featured the Toys On Fire crew! Everyone there had a blast and we’re confident we made an impression on the anime crowd. For those who don’t know, Anime North is the biggest Anime Convention in Canada, bringing in over 18000 people from all over the world! Props to all the great costumes we saw, and boy was there a variety! Now that it’s over though, we can’t wait for next year when we get to do it all again!
Tags: anime, anime north, Conventions, Final Fantasy, steampunk, toronto, Toys on Fire, Toys on Fire Ottawa, zero-suit samus
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Friday, August 14th, 2009
 Hey Guys!
Okay, so the first announcement (and we apologize immensely for the lateness), players in the beginners division will not be using any ability cards! You’ll still need 3 metal gate cards (one of each different colour) and 3 Bakugan, and a trap if you want to bring one, but beginners will not be using ability cards. Some of you alreayd knew this from the Bakugan training days, but apologies for those of you who didn’t know this before hand.
So I guess most of you partcipating in the tournament want to know what you’re going to be playing for. So without further ado, the prizes:
1st place (in division): $15 Gift Certificate
2nd place (in division): $10 Gift Certificate
3rd place (in division): $5 Gift Certificate
Keep in mind guys that these prizes are for 1st, 2nd and 3rd for each division!
We also might have some extra prizes care of Sony Pictures and Game Summit! SEE YOU ALL THERE!
Tags: Bakugan Tournament, Conventions
Posted in Toys on Fire Ottawa | No Comments »
Wednesday, March 25th, 2009
Wow, I am officially Mega-Bowled out for this year! That was exciting! Congratulations to Saturday’s tournament, 1st place Matthew, 2nd Place Tony, and 3rd Place Ethan. Also a big thank you to everyone who came out, we very much enjoyed hanging out and playing games with all of you! Also stay tuned for the next big events coming this spring!
Tags: Bakugan Tournament, Conventions
Posted in Toys on Fire Ottawa | No Comments »
Thursday, March 12th, 2009
Psst! Did you know that the Ottawa area now has three (count them, three!) major annual anime conventions? Did you also know that Toys on Fire makes an appearance at all of them? That’s right anime fans, we’re letting you know extra early that Naru 2 U will be back this year, at the Travelodge (1379 Carling Ave.) on October 10th-11th. What is Naru 2 U? What’s an anime convention? What IS Anime? Well, Naru 2 U is an anime convention that debuted last November with an attendance of 600 people (a fair feat for a debut). Even we don’t know much more about it so far, except that Stephanie Beard, actress, voice actress, and former host of YTV’s the Zone will be returning to chat with fans. For updates and more info on Naru 2 U, check them out at www.Naru2u.com. Now, if you still don’t know what Anime is, it’s a particular type of animation from Japan, (Gundam, Sailor Moon, Naruto) but it also includes Japanese videogames like Nintendo or Final Fantasy. Anime conventions are a chance to learn about new anime, meet people with similar interests, dress as your favorite character, and have lots of fun! But don’t forget to come say hello to yours truly in the dealer’s room!
Tags: anime, Conventions, naru 2 u
Posted in Toys on Fire Ottawa | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, February 25th, 2009
 G-Anime has come and gone, much fun was had, and many tears were shed. All while all this was happening, the rest of the Toys on Fire staff took the opportunity of having almost all the Anime merchendise out of the store to do a little rearranging, and we think you will be pleasently surprised.
Our anime section has been completely restructured to allow you, our valued customers to get closer to our product, find it easier, and we have also vastly expanded our selection. We are also now taking orders for anything we might be missing, so swing by and check it out, you won’t be dissapointed!
Tags: anime, Conventions, g-anime
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Tuesday, February 24th, 2009
 A couple rules clarifications for those of you who get stuck sometimes when the official rules aren’t too clear. This information is to help you find the true meaning of Bakugan, which of course is to have fun. Hope this helps guys and girls! Have fun and play fair, I hope to see you all at the March Break Mega Bowl!
1) My ball didn’t open up on the card, does it count as standing?
If the magnet is stuck onto the card, regardless of whether the Bakugan is open or not, it counts. If the magnet is not stuck on the card, it doesn’t count..
2) What is the best/most powerful/coolest/most awesome Bakugan?
The one that wins the battle! Seriously though, every Bakugan is good at different times if you use it well. The highest G-Power Bakugan is generally considered the “best” but there are lots of times when smaller is better. Even the lowest G-Power Bakugan can win on Duck and Win. Personally, I like Preyus and Skyress cause they just look so cool…
3) Can I play with both Series 1 and Series 2 cards?
Sure. This is your game, so as long as you and your opponent both agree, feel free to use both cards. A few of the Series 1 Gate cards will be really over-powered if you play this way, but they will still work. If you decide to go this route, I would ignore HSP and stick with the Series 2 victory condition of winning 3 Gate cards. Over time, you’ll likely stop using Series 1 cards as the game moves forward and more folks play with Series 2 rules. Series 1 Bakugan will work well in either set of rules. If you want to update your game play to Series 2, the most affordable way to do it is to buy one of the “card-only” products (one of which comes with a whopping 30 new Series 2 cards!).
4) How do I use the attribute switching Preyas?
Use it as normal. Each time it opens up, it will change to a new attribute. The player doesn’t get to change it by hand during the game by spinning it – it will change all by itself, so whatever attribute symbol is shown when it opens is the one it is for that battle.
5) What is the highlight around one of the attribute bonuses on the Gate card for?
You can safely ignore that… for now… That is called the “highlighted bonus” and there will be cards that come out in the future (as well as Bakugan) that will use that number. When playing a collectible game like Bakugan, things will get updated from time to time, and some things that might not currently make sense (or that might seem really weak) will get updated to keep the game fresh and exciting. If you’re playing for HSP as well, you can use the highlighted value as the HSP value for the card, but remember, the HSP value will always be lower then Series 1 cards.
6) Rolling Bakugan is hard.
OK, this isn’t exactly a “question” but it seems that lots of folks want to know the “best” way to roll a Bakugan. There is one really good trick to getting Bakugan to open up on cards – when you roll the bakugan “spin” it like a top with the magnet side down while flicking it towards the Gate cards. This small trick is a HUGE help in getting Bakugan to open up on cards as the magnet will almost always make contact with the metal in any card it touches! Advanced players can use this trick to curve a Bakugan so that it hits the Gate card that is furthest away as well. But the only way to get really good at getting your Bakugan to open up is to practice (which is fun all by itself anyway!).
7) Can you send me a Bakugan?
Unfortunately, we can’t. Sadly, we don’t have enough for ourselves!
 When I win a battle, do I get to keep my opponent’s card/Bakugan forever?
Definitely not! The gate cards are used to keep track of who is winning (first player to win 3 battles wins the game), but after the game, all game pieces are given back to their owners.
9) I have only bought booster packs, how do I play this game?
Go here and download the rules. (Wow, that was an easy answer…)
10) Can you play with 2 Bakugan that are the same?
Sure. You’ll still need to have 3 to play the game, but if 2 of them are the same or if your opponent has one just like yours, that’s fine. It all just depends on how you want to play.
11) Who wins in a tie?
It goes into Sudden Fury! Each player in the tie take turns rolling until one lands on the card that was flipped up. When one person’s Bakugan stands, the other person gets once chance to land his bakugan on the card. If he does, continue Sudden Fury! If not, the person who got thier bakugan on the card wins.
12) When I play an ability card that gives a G-Power bonus does my opponent also get the bonus?
No. The card should always tell you how things work pretty clearly. For instance, it will say something like “…Your Bakugan gains G-Power based on its Attribute.” – so it only affects your Bakugan. There might be cards in the future that affect all Bakugan battling, but the card will clearly state that.
13) How many times can I use an Ability card in a game?
Once. Then they go to your “Used Pile.” There are some clever ways to get a card back from your used pile to use again, but generally, just one use of an ability card per game.
14) Can I play with all of my Ability and Gate cards?
The current rules are that you play with 3 gate and 3 ability cards. This makes choosing what to play with an important part of your strategy. But as I always say, if you and your opponent agree, you can play however you want. But as a warning, playing a game with 100 ability cards could take all day…
15) When I play the Doom card do I get to keep my opponent’s Bakugan for good?
No. The Doom card just takes your opponent’s Bakugan out of the game, not into your pocket!
That’s it for this edition of Frequently Asked Questions. Happy brawling!
Tags: Bakugan, Bakugan B2 Tournament, Bakugan Tournament, Contest, Conventions, march break mega bowl
Posted in Toys on Fire Ottawa | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, February 18th, 2009
 It’s coming. Got nothing to do this March break? Well, it’s coming. Got something to do this March break? Well it’s coming, and I will see you all there!
That’s right, Toys on Fire is having its first March Break Mega-Bowl this March 16-21 at the Barrhaven Cineplex Odeon movie theatre. The daily events will range from Bakugan tournaments and board game demos to hockey card and pokemon trading days.
Stay tuned and check in store for more info!
Tags: Bakugan Tournament, Conventions, hockey card trading day, Pokemon
Posted in Toys on Fire Ottawa | No Comments »
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