by Thomas Traplin | Mar 4, 2015 | Podcasts
The inaugural episode of the Manaverse Podcast. It's been a long time coming. In this short session you will learn a little about myself and my history with Magic and why I'm going through the effort of putting together a podcast for you. Make no mistake, a podcast is... 
by Thomas Traplin | Dec 24, 2014 | Articles, Community, General Business
This is the third instalment in the Level Up series. If you haven’t read the first two parts you can find the first one here and the second one here. Each one leads into the next but if you prefer to read things backwards I can’t stop you. Some people like... 
by Thomas Traplin | Dec 2, 2014 | Articles, Community, General Business
Last time we talked about how to turn customers who don’t play Magic into beginner/casual players. That article can be found here if you haven’t read it yet. The principle behind the concept of the Customer Development progression is that a local game... 
by Thomas Traplin | Nov 18, 2014 | Articles, Community, General Business
Magic: the Gathering is an excellent game. 21 years and still growing is a pretty good track record. It is fairly easy for a local game store to open up, declare that they have game tables and Magic cards for sale and have a steady source of income for their business.... 
by Thomas Traplin | Sep 17, 2014 | Articles, Community
Female gamers have always been a rare breed. But that’s changing and the game of Magic is no exception. The number of women who play Magic is on the rise and they are beginning to change the way the community operates. Between Melissa DeTora and Jackie Lee... 
by Thomas Traplin | Sep 2, 2014 | Articles
I understand how Slim Shady felt way back in the day when all he wanted was for the real Slim Shady to please stand up. Being impersonated is strange. Somewhat flattering, but mostly just annoying. So this is the story. My wife and I are currently looking for a new... 
by Thomas Traplin | Aug 1, 2014 | Articles, General Business, Tournaments
The game has changed. In the past two years the growth of Magic and the tournament scene has been both a boon and a curse. I’m sure everyone has heard a horror story or two about a PTQ that was run catastrophically. Too many players, not enough seats.... 
by Thomas Traplin | Jun 7, 2014 | Articles, General Business
Partners are the key Business has always been attractive to me, even when I was young. Right out of high school I knew I wanted to run my own Local Gaming Store. I decided to abandon my studies in Computer Science and instead open a gaming establishment with two of my... 
by Thomas Traplin | May 25, 2014 | Articles
It’s a conspiracy. They want your money and they know how to get it. They are mad with power you see, they have even begun to manipulate how will we draft our cards together. Them. They. You know. Big TCG. Wizard’s of the Coast is a front for the... 
by Thomas Traplin | Apr 16, 2014 | Articles, General Business
Below is a list of features that every single game store should aspire to have. For those of you who are considering opening your own store use this list as a road map. There is far more to running a proper business than the bullet points down below but if these...