The Manaverse Podcast

Hosted by Tom Traplin

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169

Latest episode

Jun 2026

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About the show

The Manaverse Podcast is a podcast created for you, the gamer with aspirations of building your own local game store (LGS), the entrepreneur running an LGS who wants to grow their business, and the player who wants a behind the scenes look into their favourite hobby. If you’re looking for inspiration, new ideas, and interesting perspectives then Tom Traplin has you covered. Learn the business of selling some of the best games in the world including MTG, Warhammer, Pokémon, Dungeons and Dragons, board games and Euro games from some of the best retailers in the industry. Hear from some of the most successful business owners in the tabletop game industry and learn about the strategies, tactics, and systems that make their businesses so effective.

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60 recent

September 4, 202655 min

MVP165: The Secret Lantern - Why Community Is Not a Marketing Strategy at This Game Store

"For us, community is not a marketing strategy. It is literally part of our operating model." If you’ve ever wondered what it actually takes to turn a bookstore and game store into a place people never want to leave, this conversation is packed with answers. Dianna runs The Secret Lantern Books and Games in Cedar Park, Texas. She shares the real story behind finding the location, launching the business, learning brick-and-mortar ownership on the fly, and deciding to create more than a store - a community hub where misfits can feel welcome, curious, and brave enough to try something new. We talk about: Why “community” is part of the operating model, not just a slogan How Dianna uses store vibes and customer experience to make newcomers feel safe The scrappy, bootstrapped realities of running a bookstore, game store, and cafe at once Why special orders, recurring programming, and staff connection matter more than chasing every trend How she supports everything from D&D and Warhammer to tarot, embroidery, improv, and friendship meetups We also get into the practical side of running events at scale, from ticket tiers and private games to room bookings, bundles, and the difference a flexible system can make when your calendar is packed. Dianna explains why reducing friction for staff and customers frees the team to focus on the real goal: creating experiences people actually want to repeat. If you care about indie retail, hobby spaces, customer loyalty, or building a business that feels human instead of transactional, this episode is for you. Dianna’s approach is thoughtful, honest, and refreshingly practical. Links https://thesecretlantern.com https://solo.to/thesecretlantern https://eventforge.online/

June 8, 20261 hr 5 min

MVP164: Brass Dragon Games - Building a Game Store Around People, Not Product

Opening a game store is easy to romanticize. Running one is where the real lessons begin. In this episode, I talk with Trey MacCampbell, owner of Brass Dragon Games, about what he’s learned in the first seven months of running a tabletop game store. We cover why rent can’t be your biggest expense, how customers tell you what they want with their wallets, why going wide instead of deep matters early on, and what to do when inventory doesn’t move. Trey also shares how Brass Dragon Games has built a welcoming culture around learn-to-play events, Dungeons & Dragons, Magic, Warhammer, Gundam, and a simple but powerful idea: focus on the customers, not just the stuff. Links https://brassdragongames.com/ https://eventforge.online/

March 25, 202658 min

MVP163: Tariffs, Trade, and the Future of Tabletop

In this revealing episode, Lynn Potyen from The Game Board and Price Johnson of Cephalofair Games discuss the hidden crisis of tariffs impacting the tabletop games industry. Discover how sudden trade policies and tariff chaos are causing layoffs, delaying products, and threatening the future of the tabletop industry across America. Lynn and Price share practical steps for store owners, game publishers, and businesses at every tier of the industry, as well as consumers to push for transparency and reform. They highlight the importance of grassroots advocacy and collective action through campaigns like We Pay the Tariffs. Links https://www.wepaythetariffs.com/

January 31, 20261 hr 6 min

MVP162: Mastering Your Store's Google Business Profile with Bill Hibbler

"Google Business Profile is where your store's introduction is made" What would the impact of having 100 extra potential customers walk into your store each month be? People who are interested in the games and products you have to sell. How would that affect your cash flow and bottom line? What about 500? 1000? Unless you live in an extremely isolated community, it's possible. I have yet to talk to a game store owner that doesn't want more customers coming into their store every month. But accomplishing that goal isn't always easy. There are so many ways to reach out and spread the word within your local community, but in today's episode Bill Hibbler and I explore one of the most effective ways to get your store in front of more people. Google search has been the default way most people use the internet to find what they're looking for. We go online and search for things like "Magic cards" or "warhammer store" or "sports card store" and we see what pops up. Sometimes we see places like Amazon and Target near the top of the search results, sometimes it's the local hobby store. We end up clicking on the website to get more info. The results aren't random. The reason the #1 result on Google is there is because they put in the work to rank that high. That's SEO (search engine optimization) and it has a big time commitment in order to pay off and start generating the traffic you're looking for. That's not what we're talking about in this episode. SEO is great. It's effective, powerful, and can change your business, so I recommend putting some effort into it. But if you want to see results in weeks instead of months, listen closely to how Bill breaks down a simple strategy for leveraging something you've probably set up once and forgotten about: your store's Google Business Profile. By optimizing your Google Business Profile and making a single page on your website, your Google Map rankings can see huge improvements in a very short amount of time. Instead of people in your surrounding local area finding big box stores when they search for the products you sell, your store can show up at the top of the Map Pack and grab that traffic for your business instead. We talk about: Setting up your Google Business Profile correctly so you get the most out of it How Google tells you what it's looking for in terms of information The one webpage you need to get the most from your GBP How to calculate the lifetime value of a customer so you can measure the effectiveness of your marketing strategies The simple strategy that reframes your store into a local destination There is a ton of great info in this episode, and to quote Bill one more time "When they pay more attention to your site, it's gonna get more people to pay attention to your store." Useful Links location.gamestoremarketing.com gamestoremarketing.com Google Business Profile Canva GAMA Expo

December 10, 202518 min

MVP161: Q5 - The Secret Shopping Surge After the Holidays

Google calls Q5 a ‘distinct, high-value shopping season,’ and their data is fascinating which is why I wanted to talk about it. But the magic here goes way beyond Google ads. Game stores can use this Q5 behavior across their entire business — events, email, merchandising, community building, all of it. So this episode is all about how the psychology of Q5 works… and how you can tap into it in ways your competitors probably won’t. Check out the Game Store Mastermind https://www.skool.com/lgs-success-mastermind-6743/about Book a strategy call for your game store https://manaversesaga.com/mma

October 20, 202516 min

MVP160: Game Store Strategies for Black Friday Weekend

Today we're tackling one of the biggest weekends of the year, black Friday, small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday. It is three days, four days technically of pure intensity. Everyone is running promos, customers are hunting for deals, and the whole retail ecosystem usually kicks into overdrive. If you don't have a plan, it is going to feel like chaos. But if you do it right, if you go in with a strategy this weekend. Can generate a massive surge of momentum for the rest of the holiday season, along with a ton of sales and revenue for your store. Of course. So in this episode, we're gonna talk about how to build your BFCM strategy. We're gonna go over how to design smart promotions that drive sales without gutting your margins. How to build anticipation leading up to Black Friday. So customers think of you first instead of your competitors. How to leverage small business Saturday to deepen community ties, how to gamify your store. And make the weekend fun for your customers. How to use this weekend for content creation. And finally, what to do Tuesday morning to lock in those long term gains. Want to knock Q4 out of the park but not sure where to start? Book a consultation call and we'll create a custom marketing plan for your game store that you can use immediately. Head to https://manaversesaga.com/mma to get on the schedule today!

October 3, 202527 min

MVP159: Is Your FLGS Ready For Q4?

Q4 is make-or-break for local game stores — but without a plan, the holiday rush can feel like chaos. In this episode of the Manaverse Podcast, I walk you through a simple Holiday Game Plan to help your store maximize sales, get in front of more customers, and stay sane this season. You’ll learn: Why Q4 is the most important quarter for your store A quick “holiday audit” to focus your efforts The 3 pillars every successful game store holiday plan needs

September 4, 202545 min

MVP158: David Finn On The De Minimis Exemption Removal And Its Impact On Tabletop Games

In this episode of the Manaverse Podcast, we delve into the significant changes in shipping to the US from the rest of the world due to the removal of the de minimis exemption. David Finn, the owner of Giga-Bites Tabletop Gaming Cafe and Bridge Distribution breaks down why this change might actually be good for US and global businesses and strategies for adapting to the new rules. Discover how this policy shift is reshaping global trade in the games business and how you can shift your operation to thrive in the new environment. Get in touch with David Finn david.finn@bridgedist.com Sign up for SortSwift and use code MANAVERSE at checkout get your TCG singles business online while saving 5%! https://www.sortswift.com/?ref=manaverse Ready to take your store's visibility and growth to the next level? Visit manaversesaga.com/mma for a free 30-minute strategy session where we'll review your current marketing approach and show you exactly what's possible with some expert guidance.

July 8, 202529 min

MVP157: Cardmill - Scan. Sort. Done. - Behind the Scenes with Jonathan Domanus

Cardmill—a compact, cost-effective card sorting device designed for everyday players and collectors of trading card games. Get a behind the scenes look at the CardMill and how Jonathan Domanus is working to make professional and efficient card sorters affordable and accessible to TCG collectors and stores around the world. Meet CardMill Designed for Players The CardMill is the only automated trading card game scanner and sorter on the market, priced for the everyday collector and player. Automated Scanning The CardMill can scan and sort batches of 300 cards at a time, hands-free! It moves, scans, and sorts all on its own. Fast Sorting Settings to sort cards alphabetically, by set/type/color and more! The CardMill auto-sorts your collection so you can find what you need when you need it. Intelligent Identification This AI-model learns and grows with your collection. The CardMill scanner identifies cards by name, set, foil, you name it! Digital Dashboard Scanning is just the beginning. Use CardMill's digital library to organize, filter, track price trends and add your inventory to your favorite collection tracker! Track Collection Value Integrated with up-to-date TCGPlayer pricing, you'll always have the latest prices of your inventory at-a-glance. Find out more about CardMill by going to https://cardmill.com/manaversesaga and sign up to get notified when the Kickstarter campaign goes live on July 22nd.

June 13, 202542 min

MVP156: SortSwift - The Ultimate TCG Ecosystem

Mikah, the founder of SortSwift and MTech Cave, comes onto the Manaverse Podcast to talk about his journey from running a phone repair shop to building cutting-edge tools for the collectible card game industry. Mikah shares how his business evolved from selling Magic: The Gathering singles to creating a Kickstarter for card drawers that raised over $150K, eventually leading to the development of his own card sorting machine—one of the first new production machines in over 20 years. Get started with SortSwift today - https://manaversesaga.com/sortswift But hardware is just part of the picture. SortSwift also offers an integrated software suite for game stores and at-home sellers that includes: Inventory management Auto-pricing via TCGPlayer Buylist management Shopify and marketplace integrations Chaos-style organization (bin-level card tracking) POS and customer kiosk systems CSV tools and fuzzy match imports Plans for a vetted seller marketplace and fulfillment network If you're tired of dealing with legacy systems like BinderPOS that aren't performing as promised and want something more responsive, modular, and affordable, you should take a look at SortSwift. Many game stores are already switching, and growth is accelerating. Sign up for SortSwift today! https://manaversesaga.com/sortswift SortSwift quick hits: Over 2.2 million cards scanned Nearly $750K in customer sales processed 90+ active subscriptions and growing 21 sorting machines ordered, with more in production