by Thomas Traplin | Oct 28, 2024 | Marketing
“There are 3 kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” -Mark Twain When you’re running a game store, it’s easy to zero in on specific metrics or products. You see a particular board game sitting on the shelf for months, and your instinct is to... 
by Thomas Traplin | Oct 1, 2024 | Community
It’s been a while since I’ve seen this much controversy in the Magic community. Wizards of the Coast recently announced that they would be taking over the duties of the Commander Rules Committee after the ban update from last week resulted in a backlash... 
by Thomas Traplin | Sep 20, 2024 | Podcasts
In this special update episode of the Manaverse Podcast, host Tom Traplin sits down with Blake Hawkey, one of the co-founders of 2nd Hand Geek. Together, they discuss the evolution of the platform since its inception, the exciting new features available, and how the... 
by Thomas Traplin | Aug 29, 2024 | Podcasts
How Game Stores Can Change Lives and Build Community In today's episode of the Manaverse Podcast, I dive deep into a topic that's been on my mind a lot lately: the growing loneliness and division many of us are experiencing in the modern world. With nearly a third of... 
by Thomas Traplin | Aug 7, 2024 | Podcasts
This interview that you’re about to hear with Scott Church is fascinating. Scott is the owner of Category One Games, an online only store he started way back in the mists of time, also known as 2004. A 20 year old online only store is interesting enough, but Category... 
by Thomas Traplin | May 15, 2024 | Podcasts
In this episode, I sit down with Travis Severance, the co-owner of Millennium Games in Rochester, New York. Join us as we dive into Travis's incredible journey in the gaming industry, exploring the challenges he's faced and the strategies that have made Millennium... 
by Thomas Traplin | Apr 23, 2024 | Podcasts
Join us on the latest episode of the Manaverse podcast where we welcome Andrew Johnson, one of the visionaries behind Manapool.com. This innovative platform is not just another online marketplace—it's a specialized community hub created exclusively for buying and... 
by Thomas Traplin | Mar 1, 2024 | Podcasts
Welcome to another episode of the Manaverse Podcast! My name is Tom Traplin and I am your host and this is the podcast where we talk about building successful friendly local game stores. Today, we’re talking with Michael Bahr, the mind behind the LGS Net Income... 
by Thomas Traplin | Jan 30, 2024 | Podcasts
In this episode of the Manaverse Podcast, I interview Marcus Kearsey, a game designer for the Altered TCG team. We discuss the unique aspects of Altered TCG, including its non-combat focus, digital integration, and innovative deck-building mechanics. Kearsey shares... 
by Thomas Traplin | Jan 20, 2024 | Podcasts
Welcome to another exciting episode of our podcast! Today, we dive deep into the world of gaming retail with Joshua Pyle-Carter from The Deck Box. Joshua shares his incredible journey of building a successful gaming store from scratch. We explore how The Deck Box has...