i dropped by and checked out the wizard duel event today, and as promised earlier, i'm reporting on what went on.
participants were greeted at the door by a staff member wearing a black witch's hat and an extremely cool black bowling shirt embroidered with the wizard 101 logo. most of the kingsisle staff were wearing these, i hope it becomes available for purchase for the general public!
guests recieved a ticket good for one round of the wizard dueling. i also picked up a paper flyer version of the ad for this event, as seen in the W101 forum announcement....and a cool flyer advertising the whole beta test in general, which is in the shape of a folded yellow parchment and sealed with a sticker resembling a wax seal. i will try to post scans of this at a later date.
there was a several-feet long graphic of the ravenwood staff, mounted on foamcore board and with the faces cut out so kids could get their picture taken behind it, though i never saw anyone actually doing that. oh and i would say the atendees were 80-90% grade school age kids and their parents. there were a few other people in the store, but it was hard to tell if they were there for the event or just regular customers.
there was a table with a few laptops set up and special high-level accounts set up for people to play in. i never got a chance, but i watched for a bit and got to see moo shu for the first time-- can't wait to get there!!!
the wizard dueling was also done on special accounts set up for the event- players got to use level 50 wizards with all spells! groups of 4 competed at once, and their game was projected on the wall for those waiting in line to watch. the prizes were printouts of concept art including the firecat and unicorn, signed by staff artists.
the wizard caricatures was also a popular table with a long line; i am assuming the guy who was drawing them is the same one responsible for the fun stick-figure type graphics on the world maps, since the signs on his table were covered in similar drawings.
another fun thing i learned about is the card game in development in conjunction with the release of W101! today they just had prototype mockup decks that appeared to be color xeroxes. but from the looks of it, you will be able to play as the ravenwood staff members. and pips are represented by physical tokens: for this event, they used small velvet bags containing different colored glass beads- like the ones people use in fish bowls or glass vases. these will be neat to collect when they come out, even if you're not a card gamer!
i talked briefly to one of the developers about a few things. he said the "report bug" button should be back on the next build, but in a different location. in the menu, i am assuming. i also asked if the instances will be any easier after release, and he said probably!! and that they are still working on balancing the game.
well that's all i can think of for now. if i remember anything else later on, i'll be sure to add it. hope this was useful for anyone who wanted to attend but couldn't make it!
PS. i'm austin lotusfist, lv23 death wizard, if anyone wants to help me defeat grubb....
I'm willing to help. 
I really love playing this game, but it's frustrating when there's nothing to do. Yes, I know it is in Beta so I know there's more to come.
