Welcome to the Manaverse Podcast
The Manaverse Podcast is where we explore what it takes to build a successful friendly local game store! Since 2015, I’ve been interviewing a wide variety of game store owners and industry professionals doing some really interesting things in the world of trading cards, minis, games, and more.
If you want to learn how some of the best game retailers in North America have built their businesses and local communities up from the ground floor, you’ve come to the right place!
MVP149: The Future of 2nd Hand Geek: Updates, Features, and Benefits for Game Stores
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...
MVP148: Local Game Stores Can Save The World
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...
MVP147: Category One Games and How Scott Church Built a Business on “Dead” TCG’s
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...
MVP146: Millennium Games – Building the Biggest Game Store in the USA
We dive into Travis Severance’s incredible journey in the gaming industry, exploring the challenges he’s faced and the strategies that have made Millennium Games the largest game store in the USA.
MVP145: Manapool.com – The Marketplace for Magic Cards
Andrew Johnson comes onto the podcast to talk about creating Manapool.com, a marketplace just for Magic cards.
MVP144: Michael Bahr on Selling Your Game Store
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...
MVP143: Behind the Scenes of Altered TCG: A Conversation with Game Designer Marcus Kearsey
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...
MVP142: The Deck Box – Josh Pyle-Carter on 10 Years of Building Halifax’s Premier Local Game Store
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...
MVP142: Part 4 The Deck Box: Pros and Cons of Online Card Sales, and How To Win With a Local First Approach
In Part 4 of my interview, Joshua Pyle-Carter digs into the future plans for The Deck Box, with their 10-year anniversary quickly approaching this summer. Josh talks about the balance between online and in-store sales, stressing that each requires a vastly different...
MVP142: Part 3 Innovative Inventory and Pricing Strategies in Games Retail – Learn from The Deck Box
This is Part 3 of my interview with Joshua Pyle-Carter from The Deck Box, Halifax's Premier local games store. We delve into inventory management, pricing strategies, and how Josh empowers his staff to make good decisions without requiring his input as the owner....