The Manaverse Podcast

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.Linkshttps://www.wepaythetariffs.com/

"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 itHow Google tells you what it's looking for in terms of informationThe one webpage you need to get the most from your GBPHow to calculate the lifetime value of a customer so you can measure the effectiveness of your marketing strategiesThe simple strategy that reframes your store into a local destinationThere 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 Linkslocation.gamestoremarketing.comgamestoremarketing.comGoogle Business ProfileCanvaGAMA Expo

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/aboutBook a strategy call for your game store https://manaversesaga.com/mma

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!

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 storeA quick “holiday audit” to focus your effortsThe 3 pillars every successful game store holiday plan needs

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 [email protected] up for SortSwift and use code MANAVERSE at checkout get your TCG singles business online while saving 5%!https://www.sortswift.com/?ref=manaverseReady 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.

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 CardMillDesigned for PlayersThe CardMill is the only automated trading card game scanner and sorter on the market, priced for the everyday collector and player.Automated ScanningThe CardMill can scan and sort batches of 300 cards at a time, hands-free! It moves, scans, and sorts all on its own.Fast SortingSettings 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 IdentificationThis AI-model learns and grows with your collection. The CardMill scanner identifies cards by name, set, foil, you name it!Digital DashboardScanning 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 ValueIntegrated 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.

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/sortswiftBut hardware is just part of the picture.SortSwift also offers an integrated software suite for game stores and at-home sellers that includes:Inventory managementAuto-pricing via TCGPlayerBuylist managementShopify and marketplace integrationsChaos-style organization (bin-level card tracking)POS and customer kiosk systemsCSV tools and fuzzy match importsPlans for a vetted seller marketplace and fulfillment networkIf 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/sortswiftSortSwift quick hits:Over 2.2 million cards scannedNearly $750K in customer sales processed90+ active subscriptions and growing21 sorting machines ordered, with more in production

In this episode of the Manaverse Podcast, Douglas Johnson (DJ) and I discuss the recent turmoil surrounding TCG Player and eBay. TCG Player recently announced the closure of it's Syracuse authentication center and the firing of 220 employees, right as the union was within weeks of finalizing a collective agreement.We talk about TCG Player's history in dealing with its employees, what this means for sellers and buyers on the platform, and the ethics (or lack thereof) in running a multibillion dollar corporation.Here's a short summary of the situationIn early 2023, the graders and authenticators at TCGplayer’s Syracuse Authentication Center voted to unionize under the Communications Workers of America (CWA).On May 22, 2025, eBay announced it would close that Syracuse facility, affecting about 220 employees, and shift all authentication work to one of its logistics centers in Kentucky.The closure came just days after union leadership and eBay management wrapped up their first contract negotiations—CWA says the timing is suspicious.eBay’s official line is that consolidating in Kentucky “streamlines operations” and keeps costs down. Minimum wage and overhead in Kentucky are much lower than in upstate New York.Workers and the union claim this move is a union-busting tactic—there are new unfair-labor-practice charges filed with the NLRB arguing eBay shut down a unionized site to avoid bargaining.The Syracuse center was TCGplayer’s original headquarters and a key local employer—many of those 220 workers were specialized in grading card condition and verifying authenticity.With the Syracuse center gone, sellers and collectors in the short term will likely face longer turnaround times for grading and authentication.The CWA and local labor leaders have already staged rallies outside the shuttered building, started petitions, and enlisted state politicians to pressure eBay.eBay acquired TCGplayer in 2022 for $295 million, aiming to double down on the booming trading-card market—this shutdown is the first major union battle under their umbrella.Helpful links and alternative platformshttps://cardgarden.com/https://www.cardkingdom.com/https://manapool.com/https://www.cardtrader.com/https://theroccoalition.com/https://x.com/amandalws

In this episode of the Manaverse podcast, we explore a variety of low-cost yet highly effective marketing strategies to help you increase the visibility and customer base of your friendly local game store. Inspired by a question from the Opening a Table Game Store Facebook group, we dive into 23 actionable tips, from optimizing your Google Business profile to running new player game nights and using attention grabbers to pull people into your store for the first time.Most of these strategies won't cost you more than the time you put in, so if you're looking for ways to boost your reach and bring in new customers, emphasis on new, give this episode a listen and deploy them in your game store. Several of them you can accomplish in under 30 minutes!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.

In this episode of the Manaverse Podcast, we sit down with Mickie Kennedy, founder of eReleases and expert in small business PR, to dive deep into how local game stores can harness the power of press releases and media outreach to grow their customer base and boost their reputation.Mickie shares why small businesses have exactly the kind of human stories that local journalists love, and how easy (and inexpensive!) it can be to start getting media attention. Whether you're brand new to PR or just looking for simple ways to build stronger community ties, this episode is packed with actionable strategies you can use right away.What You'll Learn:What a press release really is — and why most small stores don't need a fancy oneHow a simple email or phone call can open the door to local media coverageWhy human interest stories are your secret PR weaponTips for building your own “local journalist Rolodex”Easy, creative ideas to make your store’s events and customer stories media-friendlyWhy consistency in outreach pays off (even if it feels slow at first!)How PR can beat a $10,000 ad campaign for a fraction of the costReal examples of how small businesses used PR to move the needle in a big wayResources Mentioned:eReleases WebsiteFree PR Masterclass by Mickie Kennedy: ereleases.com/planConnect with Mickie Kennedy:LinkedIneReleases

In this episode of the Manaverse Podcast, I’m joined once again by Kylie Prymus, the owner of Games Unlimited in Pittsburgh — one of the oldest game stores in the U.S. We dig into the current state of the board game industry, the tension between CCGs and board games, the role of retail, and the long-term viability of friendly local game stores.We talk about:Why board games might feel like they’re in trouble — but aren’t.How Games Unlimited succeeds without Magic, Pokémon, or miniatures.The downsides of Kickstarter exclusives and FOMO-driven content.The difference between stocking games and selling games.Why community and inclusion mean more than just packed event tables.How to structure your store (physically and culturally) to appeal to casual customers, not just diehard hobbyists.Let's talk about the future of local game stores, what it means to be board game-focused, and how to win without following the traditional FLGS model.

In this episode of the Manaverse Podcast, I sit down with Dustin Staats from BGE Tabeltop and Dae from Fire & Dice to talk about their journey as local game store owners and their ambitious plans for their first-ever convention, LFG Con. We dive into their backgrounds, the challenges of organizing a convention from the ground up, and the budgeting hurdles they've had to navigate. They also share what makes LFG Con unique and how they’re working to create an event that stands out. Throughout our conversation, we explore the power of community, the value of collaboration, and the excitement building around the convention.Check out LFG Con everywherehttps://www.lfg-con.com/https://www.instagram.com/lfgconvention/https://www.youtube.com/@LFGConhttps://www.tiktok.com/@lfgconvention

Today’s episode is called "The Biggest Lie in the Tabletop Games Business." And that lie is some variation of this thought: "You can't be really successful or make a substantial amount of money running a game store."Now, if you've been in this industry for any amount of time, you've probably heard some version of this. Maybe you've even thought it yourself. I’ve been putting together this podcast for over 10 years now, and I can recall several guests more or less saying the same thing. The idea that running a game store or launching a tabletop game is a passion project at best.But here's the truth: that belief is not only false, it's holding back countless game store owners, creators, and entrepreneurs from achieving the success they could be having.Let me caveat this real quick. The folks repeating this belief online mean well. Starting a game store has a notorious and well earned reputation of having a low bar for entry, which means that most would-be store owners are under-funded and under-prepared for the realities of running a retail business.Finding hard numbers on this is tough, but I would estimate that for every game store that exists and has been open for 3 years or more, there are between 10 and 20 stores that didn’t last more than a year or two. And those failed store owners, whatever the cause of the failure, disappear from the conversation, so we have a Survivorship Bias situation in online retailer groups.So the general advice given online when someone asks about starting up their own shop is “Don’t do it.” The advice givers knows how difficult the business is to build and grow, so it’s correct to discourage someone who might not be ready to put off their dream or try something else.I’m not arguing against that. I think recommending a prospective store owner come to the table with more resources and knowledge of the business will only increase their odds of success.This isn’t what I’m talking about in this podcast.I’m referring to the ingrained belief/mindset of game store owners that it’s not possible to become “wealthy” running a game store. One manifestation of this mindset is store owners discouraging would-be store owners from entering the market in the first place, but it also subconsciously limits their own potential.There’s a quote attributed to Henry Ford that encapsulates this really well.“Whether you believe you can or can’t, you’re right.”If you believe, deep down, that the best you can do with your business is to muddle along and provide yourself and your team with a basic level of income, you’re not only wrong, you’re doing yourself and the people who rely on you a disservice.Let’s get into the psychology of this for a moment. There’s a psychological phenomenon called the Pygmalion Effect, where higher expectations lead to an increase in performance. It suggests that when someone, for example, a teacher, manager, or leader, expects a person to perform well, that person is more likely to meet those expectations due to the positive reinforcement and belief in their abilities.The concept is named after Pygmalion, a figure from Greek mythology who sculpted a statue that he fell in love with, which was later brought to life by the goddess Aphrodite.Positive expectations can influence behavior, motivation, and self-esteem, leading to improved outcomes. Well, this applies to more than just the people you have working for you. In many ways, you are your own manager. The things you believe and say get internalized over time, and shape the actions you take in the future.If you believe you’re destined for great things, that you are smart, talented, and capable of making a big impact on the world, you are much more likely to actually make it a reality. There is also the opposite phenomenon known as the Golem Effect.When low expectations are set for an individual, or yourself, performance tends to decline, leading to a negative self-fulfilling prophecy.By operating under the assumption and belief that a game store isn’t a “real business” or can never really become a way to have more than a middle class lifestyle, you’re constructing the Golem one piece at a time.Let's break this down. Why does this belief exist? First, tabletop gaming has always been a community-driven hobby. Most of us are nerds at heart and up until recently, our hobbies were looked at with a side eye by most of society. We banded together to create our own communities of people who share the love and passion for games in the same way that we did.If I had to arm-chair psychoanalyze again, and it’s my show so I get to do what I want, I would say most game stores were created out of a desire to create a safe space to enjoy the things we enjoy, and to allow others who feel the same way to gather. A consequence of this is the business existing and functioning as a business is often secondary.A games store is usually fueled by passion, creativity, and a love for games. But somewhere along the line, passion b

In this special update episode of the Manaverse Podcast, host Tom Traplin sits down with Blake Edward 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 marketplace can benefit both players and local game stores.What You'll Learn in This Episode:The story behind 2nd Hand Geek, an eBay-style marketplace for used and new games, miniatures, and other geek culture items.How 2nd Hand Geek differs from platforms like eBay and TCGPlayer by offering a unique community revenue share model that rewards local game stores.An in-depth look at the new features on 2nd Hand Geek, including the innovative "Collection Feature" that helps players manage their collections and track the market value of their armies and miniatures.Details on the platform’s paint standards for miniatures, making it easier to sell and buy painted models with confidence in the quality.Upcoming features such as PayPal integration, secure transactions, and Shopify integration that will allow store owners to easily list their products on the platform.How game stores can benefit from 2nd Hand Geek’s affiliate program, earning 20% of the fees generated from their customer base’s transactions.The vision for the future of 2nd Hand Geek, including plans to become a one-stop shop for all things geek culture.Key Takeaways:2nd Hand Geek is growing rapidly with over 500 accounts and hundreds of transactions. The team is focused on building out robust features to support further growth.Game store owners can easily sign up and start earning money by referring customers to the platform or listing their own inventory. The QR code and referral link system make it simple for stores to promote the platform and earn a percentage of transactions.The platform aims to support the broader gaming community by making it easier for players to find hard-to-get miniatures and games while also providing a new revenue stream for local stores.Connect with 2nd Hand Geek:Visit 2ndHandGeek.com to sign up for a free account and start listing your items.Join the 2nd Hand Geek community on Discord to share feedback and connect with the team.Interested in getting your store involved? Contact the team for more details on how you can benefit from their referral program and upcoming features.Episode Links:2nd Hand Geek Website2nd Hand Geek DiscordManaverse Podcast

How Game Stores Can Change Lives and Build CommunityIn 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 adults in the U.S. feeling lonely on a regular basis and our society becoming more polarized, I believe local game stores have a unique opportunity to bridge these gaps and foster genuine human connections.The Loneliness EpidemicLoneliness has become a silent epidemic with significant consequences for our health and well-being. Studies show that social isolation is linked to increased risks of heart disease, stroke, dementia, and depression. It's clear that people are craving connection more than ever, but finding meaningful ways to connect can be challenging.That's where game stores come in.My Story: How a Game Store Changed My LifeI want to share a bit of my own story to highlight just how powerful these spaces can be. When I was about 12 years old, a kid from down the street introduced me to a local game store called Deja Vu Games. It wasn't much to look at—a small, basement unit with a few folding tables and some shelves of Magic cards. But for me, it was a magical place where I discovered a community of people who shared my passion for games.I spent nearly every day after school at Deja Vu Games, and over time, I met the friends who would shape my life for years to come. These were the people who became my core group, my business partners, and eventually even the ones who helped me meet my wife. The connections I made there were deep and lasting, and they all started with a shared love of games.The Unique Role of Game StoresGame stores are more than just retail spaces; they're community hubs. Unlike most other social environments—like schools, workplaces, or bars—game stores provide a unique space where people from all walks of life can come together over a shared interest. Whether it's playing Magic: The Gathering, hosting a D&D campaign, or participating in a board game night, these activities naturally foster conversation, cooperation, and connection.At a time when many people feel isolated, game stores offer a welcoming environment where new friendships can be formed and old ones can be strengthened. The structure of playing games with others helps remove the awkwardness of meeting someone new, creating a positive feedback loop that encourages more social interaction.Building a Better World, One Game at a TimeI genuinely believe that game stores have the potential to make a significant impact on their communities and, by extension, the world. Imagine a future where every community has a friendly, well-run game store that serves as a gathering place for people of all ages and backgrounds. These stores could host a variety of events—game nights, paint nights, puzzle parties, and more—that bring people together, encourage socializing, and help build stronger, more connected communities.By fostering these connections, game stores can help combat the loneliness epidemic and create a more open-minded, cooperative society. It's a small step, but one that could lead to a much happier and healthier world.So, if you're a game store owner or thinking about becoming one, know that you're not just selling games—you're offering a space for connection, joy, and community. And that, to me, is something truly special.Thanks for reading, and if you enjoyed this post, make sure to check out the full podcast episode. And if you'd like your game store featured on the show, feel free to reach out to me at [email protected], let's build a better world, one game at a time.

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 One Games specializes in dead TCG’s. Games that have been written off and dumped in the clearance sections of stores in the past are the bread and butter of Category One Games and Scott has a thriving business because of them. Since game store owners often look at the products they sell as hot potatoes, Scott’s experience may lead you to reevaluate that common wisdom. Maybe there’s gold in those dead games sitting on your back shelves. We also talk a fair bit about Crystal Commerce and the struggle of working with a legacy system that has a huge amount of potential, and the intricacies of marketing online. Good stuff all around.Speaking of marketing, that’s what we do! We help local game stores get more sales and establish a stronger presence online with digital marketing strategies like email, Google ads, Meta ads, social media, content, and search engine optimization, and we’d love to work with you! If you go to manaversesaga.com/mma and book a free call, we’ll go over your store’s current digital footprint and put together a custom digital marketing strategy plan tailored to your business. We’ll go over the plan together on the call and talk about how we can implement everything for you. If you want to work together, great! If you want to take the plan and try implementing it in house, that’s cool too. Either way, it’s yours to keep. We’ve helped game stores in nearly every stage of the business, from prelaunch all the way to multiple millions in yearly revenue, and we’d love to help your LGS take advantage of the massive opportunities that exist online. Head to manaversesaga.com/mma to get started! Linkshttps://www.categoryonegames.com/Scott Church on Facebook

Welcome to another episode of the Manaverse Podcast! 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 Games the largest game store in the USA.In this interview, we cover:Travis's early passion for gaming and how his family's gaming habits influenced him.His unique career path, from professional poker and mortgages to owning a game store.The origin story and growth of Millennium Games, expanding from a small store to a 28,000 square foot gaming haven.The importance of diversity within product categories to handle market fluctuations.Strategies for creating a successful game store, including the significance of customer feedback and community building.The role of game stores in fostering a welcoming environment and adapting communication for new customers.Insights into balancing a strong online presence with the success of a brick-and-mortar store.Personal lessons and the importance of learning from mistakes in the business.Links Mentioned:Millennium Games TV on YouTubeMillennium Games and Travis on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/MillenniumGameshttps://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009368408612Millennium Games on InstagramMillennium Games on Twitter/XMillennium Games on TwitchTravis also shares his experiences from industry events like the ACD open house and GenCon trade day, offering invaluable insights for aspiring game store owners and gaming enthusiasts alike.Don't miss this episode if you're looking to learn from one of the best in the business! Make sure to like, comment, and subscribe for more interviews and insights from the gaming industry. Enjoy the interview!

Andrew Johnson comes onto the podcast to talk about creating Manapool.com, a marketplace just for Magic cards. Learn about the hottest new marketplace for Magic players and local game store owners to buy and sell Magic singles, and how Andrew and his team of co-founders and building a great solution for the Magic community.Sign up for a Manapool.com account and get 0% seller fees for 6 months plus cash rebates.

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 newsletter and former owner of Desert Sky Games in Arizona. Michael relatively recently sold DSG to another game store owner, and I say relatively because I’ve been sitting on this recording for way too long, but we dive into what it takes to build a game store into a sellable asset. The processes and systems that you need to have in place to create a business that not only functions without you, but also gives you the opportunity to potentially exit the business profitably and on your own terms. It’s an excellent conversation, and if you want more of a backstage pass look into the operational side of a local game store I definitely recommend signing up for the LGSNI Substack. I’m a member and Michael’s insights into the crunchy, data driven aspects of the business are tremendously valuable. You can go to manaversesaga.com/lgsni to sign up. I’m not affiliated or anything with the newsletter, but I am a big fan, so check it out!Before we jump into the conversation, I’ve also got a fairly big announcement to make as well. As of today, I am officially a co-founding member of the 2nd Hand Geek team! I’m coming on as the CMO for 2nd Hand Geek and together we are going to build a marketplace that truly supports the local game stores that are the heart of the hobbies we all love.If you haven’t heard of 2nd Hand Geek yet, check out my interview with Alan Blakeborough in episode 138, to find out more about what it’s all about. I am very excited about the future of 2nd Hand Geek and how it will change the way hobbyists buy and sell online, while also giving back and supporting the local game stores that built up those communities of gamers that make everything possible in the first place.LinksLGS Net IncomeMVP1382ndHandGeek.com

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 his journey into game design, the challenges and rewards of developing a new TCG, and how player feedback shapes the game. They delve into the game's lore, art, and future plans, including organized play and competitive aspects. The episode offers a deep dive into the creative process behind Altered TCG.Questions:What initially inspired the concept of Altered, and how has it evolved from its original idea?Can you share insights into the creative process behind the game's unique blend of lore and visual design, especially with influences from Miyazaki and Dixit-like illustrations?What challenges did you face in creating a balanced yet engaging gameplay experience in Altered?Could you elaborate on how the game’s unique rarity system and algorithmically generated cards impact both gameplay and player strategy?How did you approach the lore creation for the six factions in Altered? What inspired their distinct characteristics and stories?Can you delve into the process of integrating the game's lore with its mechanics and card design?What does a typical day look like for you as a game designer on Altered?How do you balance creativity with the technical aspects of game design?In what ways has player feedback shaped the development of Altered?What future expansions or developments can players look forward to in the Altered universe?How do you envision the growth of Altered in the competitive TCG scene?What have been some of the most challenging aspects of developing Altered, and how did you overcome them?Can you share a particularly rewarding moment or milestone in the game’s journey so far?What advice would you give to someone aspiring to enter the field of game design, especially in the TCG genre?How has working on Altered influenced your personal views on game design and storytelling?If you could go back to the beginning of the Altered project, is there anything you would do differently?Check out the Altered TCG Kickstarter campaign!https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/equinox-studio/altered-tcgBook a 30 minute strategy session with us to get your game store digital marketing plan created for free. It's yours to keep either way so you have nothing to lose. Go to https://manaversesaga.com/mma to book your call and start off 2024 strong.

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 created a community-centric environment, offering a personalized client service that goes beyond just selling products. You'll hear about the innovative strategies in inventory management, pricing, and staff empowerment that have contributed to the store's success. Joshua also sheds light on the future plans for The Deck Box, including balancing online and in-store sales and maintaining a profitable margin to support community events. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in gaming retail, community building, or just loves a good success story. Tune in for insights and inspiration from a gaming retail expert!Linkshttps://www.thedeckboxhalifax.com/https://www.facebook.com/DeckBoxHalifaxhttps://www.instagram.com/thedeckboxhalifax/

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 approach and business model, and why he favours the local first approach for his community. Book a 30 minute strategy session with us to get your game store digital marketing plan created for free. It's yours to keep either way so you have nothing to lose. Go to https://manaversesaga.com/mma to book your call and start off 2024 strong.

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. Joshua talks about balancing pricing for different card rarities, adapting to market changes, and setting prices appropriate for the local market, and why he doesn't use platforms like TCGPlayer to set his prices. This one is real crunchy if you're curious about the back end operations of how a local-first game store really functions and cultivates a profitable TCG ecosystem of local customers.Book a 30 minute strategy session with us to get your game store digital marketing plan created for free. It's yours to keep either way so you have nothing to lose. Go to https://manaversesaga.com/mma to book your call and start off 2024 strong.

This is Part 2 of my interview with Joshua Pyle-Carter from The Deck Box where we focus on personalized client service as a key factor in his success. Understanding individual customer preferences, especially in complex games like Magic: The Gathering, is crucial and so is guiding customers based on their interests and experience levels, rather than pushing sales. He discusses the benefits of carrying a wide range of products to meet diverse needs and the significance of building trust with customers through genuine recommendations and attentive service.Book a 30 minute strategy session with us to get your game store digital marketing plan created for free. It's yours to keep either way so you have nothing to lose. Go to https://manaversesaga.com/mma to book your call and start off 2024 strong.

This is part 1 of a 4 part interview I did with Josh Pyle-Carter. He’s the owner of The Deck Box, a massively successful and tremendously cool tabletop game store in Halifax, Nova Scotia. In this part of our interview, Josh tells the story of starting his first game store in PEI on a shoestring budget and how being profitable from day 1 was basically his and his partner Rachel’s only option. We talk about the importance of stocking a wide range of magic singles to meet customer needs, the evolution from a small to a larger store, and the emphasis on client relationships over mere transactions. It was a fun conversation that I was able to have in person, at Josh’s new expansion lovingly called the Rules Lawyer, which is something I definitely want to do more of in the future. Enjoy part 1 of Josh’s interview.Linkshttps://www.thedeckboxhalifax.com/https://www.facebook.com/DeckBoxHalifaxhttps://www.instagram.com/thedeckboxhalifax/

This episode of the Manaverse Podcast features Eric Dieulangard, the CMO of Equinox. Today we're discussing "Altered," a new trading card game scheduled for release in the summer of 2024, and diving into how the game's innovations fit into the business model of your friendly local game store. Eric elaborates on Altered's unique features, including its integration of digital elements with traditional card gameplay, and the innovative use of QR codes to merge physical and digital collections. He explains how Altered aims to refresh the trading card game industry, emphasizing a new IP, engaging gameplay, and a mix of casual and competitive elements. We also discuss the game's market strategy, retailer support, organized play, and a Kickstarter campaign, highlighting how these elements are designed to benefit both players and retailers.If you've been curious about Altered and wondering what all the hype is about, this interview is a great place to start!Key Points We Discussed:What is Altered and what makes it different from other TCGs on the market todayHow the game integrates digital elements with traditional card gameplayHow the QR code system worksAltered's artistic inspiration and intellectual property and building that out in a world of established IPsA little bit of how the game playsThe Kickstarter details and retailer pledgeThe Organized Play program details of Altered and the planned support for stores, as well as the the competitive circuit planned for late 2024/early 2025LinksAltered.ggAltered Discord serverAltered FAQAltered on X/Twitter

Welcome to another episode of the Manaverse podcast! I’m your host, Tom Traplin, and today, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Tyler Brotton, an ambitious entrepreneur charting a unique path in the gaming industry. From starting as an online card trader during the COVID-19 pandemic to his current venture of setting up a brick-and-mortar game store, Tyler shares the ups and downs of his journey, offering a treasure trove of insights for aspiring entrepreneurs.Tyler's journey is a testament to the entrepreneurial spirit, showcasing the blend of passion and practicality needed to succeed in the competitive world of game retail. His story offers valuable insights for anyone aspiring to turn their hobby into a thriving business.For more insights and updates on Tyler’s journey, listeners can follow him on Facebook and join his Discord community, Righteous Gaming.Key Points We Discussed:How his journey began with online card sales, focusing on the 'Flesh and Blood' TCG.Tyler's strategies for scaling his online business through the buying and selling of card collections.Tyler opens up about the hurdles of moving from an online business to a physical store, including capitalization, location scouting, and balancing dual operations.We delve into Tyler’s vision for a game store that's more than just a business.Tyler highlights how mentorship has been pivotal in his journey, helping him navigate the complexities of opening a brick and mortar retail location.We discuss strategies for staying relevant in a dynamic market, including product line diversification and keeping a pulse on customer preferences.Tyler shares his long-term goals, painting a picture of growth and expansion in the gaming industry.LinksOpening a Tabletop Game Store Facebook GroupFriendly Local Game Store by Gary Ray#righteousgaming on DiscordTyler Brotton on FacebookEmail Tyler: [email protected]

The launch of Lorcana has been a roller coaster for game stores. The absurdly high demand combined with a very limited supply of product has created a perfect storm for game store owners looking to sell, as well as consumers and collectors looking to buy. Online communities of players/speculators have accused game store owners of scalping and gouging if anything is priced above MSRP, with game store owners justifiably pushing back and defending the market price as the only viable option given the circumstances.Basically, no one is happy about the Lorcana launch and the whole thing has been extremely frustrating for all parties. As of the publishing date of this podcast, restocks of Chapter 1 are just now hitting the shelves of game stores several weeks later than originally promised by Ravensburger, with Rise of the Floodborn just around the corner. As a collectible card game, Lorcana will be scrutinized as an example for years to come. Despite all it's challenges, and they are substantial at this point, there is still massive potential for Lorcana to become a major player in the collectible card game market. And that's what Brendan Carrion and I discuss in today's episode! Let's talk about the future of Lorcana as a collectible card game, it's place in the pantheon, where Ravensburger went wrong with the launch (and where they went right), and speculate on whether Lorcana is the next big thing.Topics DiscussedThe popularity and anticipation of Disney's Lorcana card gameComparison of Lorcana to Pokemon and its market impactRavensburger's supply challengesThe speculative nature of collectible card gamesThe secondary market for collectible cards and investment perspectivesThe effect of volatile card prices on game stores and industry ethicsThe controversy and value of reprinting cards in the collectible marketChallenges faced by retailers with pre-orders and customer expectationsRavensburger's cautious approach to printing and market deliveryPotential impact of a new Star Wars card gameThe complexity of card game production and consumer awarenessLinksAthoriagames.com@athoriagames on InstagramAthoria Games on Facebook@deathbyroleplaying

Alan Blakeborough, Founder and CEO of 2ndHandGeek.com, talks about the new online marketplace that supports friendly local game stores. Alan and his team are creating a new competitor to the $9 billion marketplace of eBay, where the fees are competitive and 1% of each transaction gets paid back to the friendly local game store associated with a user's account. We also talk about what he learned along the way as an owner of multiple game stores over the last couple of decades, and how 2ndHandGeek supports store owners with additional income, as well as organized play support.SummaryCreating a marketplace for gamers to buy and sell gaming-related items.How 2ndHandGeek works and how it supports local game stores.The growth of the tabletop gaming industry.The International Wargaming League and 2ndHandGeek organized play program3D printing and its potential in the miniature Wargaming [email protected] Blake a call! 864-420-4788

Frank Rossi and Jordan Shankman are the featured guests for today's episode of the podcast. Frank and Jordan are the owners of Petrichor Productions in the Greater Atlanta area and they specialize in video production and helping businesses bring their brand story to vibrant life. The Petrichor team recently worked with Jason Mastowski, the owner of Peach State Games in Woodstock, GA, to create a video telling the story of his shop and the amazing community that has formed around Jason's passion and energy. It's a great example of how a well produced video can convey emotion and tell a story that can't really be replicated any other way. Check out the short three minute video they created for Jason below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-TdqzviHhoIn our interview, the Petrichor guys and I discuss why video is so effective and creating a connection between businesses and potential customers, how you can start creating video content for your game store today without the need for expensive cameras or equipment, and what makes a piece of video content effective.Video is one of the most powerful ways you can market your business, and when paired with social media and digital marketing, it's a great tool for getting new customers into your store or shopping your website. If you're an established game store that offers a great experience to your customers, this is an excellent strategy for taking your marketing to the next level. Find out how the Manaverse Marketing Agency and Petrichor team can blow up your inbox and in store traffic with a killer video marketing package by going to manaversesaga.com/petrichor.

Commander players are the ultimate casual Magic player for game stores. Having a thriving and vibrant Commander community is a huge asset since Commander players often spend the most money on the hobby and buy all sorts of cards that conventional Standard or Modern players wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole, and are happy paying for them!The more Commander players you can create and attract the better, but there are some barriers to organizing events for this particular community of Magic players.As an event type, Commander is usually as casual as it gets, so traditional event organization doesn't really make much sense. Commander players aren't playing for the competition, or even the prizes most of the time. They're there for the fun and friendly atmosphere and to live out their Timmy/Johnny dreams of hilarious situations and ridiculously improbable combos.Traditional tournament organization doesn't really fit the bill.The second issue is some people find it awkward to show up to a store for the first time and ask a bunch of strangers if they can join their game. Social anxiety is a real thing, and it can keep potential Commander players from ever giving it a shot.So what should you do?Hang out with the founder of LFG Nexus and myself to find out about Commander Nexus and the Kickstarter project launching September 14th! Commander Nexus is a platform being explicitly designed to facilitate Magic's most popular casual format and make it easier than ever for game stores to build a community of Commander players.Find out:What makes the Commander Nexus tick,How you can get early access to the platform,And how you can start growing your Commander community.Get in on the ground floor by clicking here to be notified when the project goes live!Host note: Sheldon Menery, the godfather of Commander recently passed prior to the release of this podcast. Sheldon was a trailblazer in the Magic community, helping to shape the judge program from its earliest days and serving as a level 5 competitive Magic judge until retiring from the program in 2011. A prolific writer and content creator, he shared his insights and expertise through articles, videos, and podcasts, and he was one of the people responsible for the creation and proliferation of the Magic's most popular format. Sheldon left a mark on the Magic community that few will ever be able to match and he will be missed.

Robyn Lowy, the owner of Mindtaker Miniatures in Vancouver, Washington, talks about how she built a truly unique take on the friendly local game store. Find out how Robyn started by buying and selling miniatures online and expanded the business into a fully fledged miniature powerhouse. If you've ever thought about carrying miniature games in your store the business model (pun intended) that Robyn has built is one you should 100% be paying attention to.Links Mentionedhttps://www.mindtaker.org/[email protected]://facebook.com/mindtakerminishttps://www.instagram.com/mindtakermini/A digital marketing strategy is crucial to your game store's success. In order to grow, you need to get your store in front of new customers and the most effective way to do that is online using strategies like Google ads, email marketing, social media, and content marketing. This is where the Manaverse Marketing Agency comes in. We bring in new customers to your online store and physical store front using a comprehensive digital marketing strategy that we build around your brand and existing operation, and then implement for you. Book a 30 minute strategy session with us to get your game store marketing plan created for free. It's yours to keep either way so you have nothing to lose. Go to manaversesaga.com/mma to book your call and let's take your game store to the next level.

Brendan Carrion, email marketer/game designer/podcaster with Athoria Games in Arizona, is on the podcast to talk about the nuts and bolts of marketing a game store and getting new customers, what makes Athoria Games tick, and discuss the state of the gaming industry as a whole.Good times. Don't forget to connect with Brendan here.Links Mentionedhttps://www.athoriagames.com/https://www.thecarrion.com/

We've got Jamison Sacks on the podcast today. Jamison is the owner of Common Ground Games in Dallas. Founded in 2013 by Jamison Sacks & DR Hanson, Common Ground Games brings a premiere retail and gaming space for all of D/FW to enjoy and has well over a thousand five star reviews on Facebook and Google.Links Mentionedhttps://www.boardgamesdallas.com/https://www.facebook.com/commongroundgamestorehttps://www.instagram.com/commongroundgames/https://www.tiktok.com/@commongroundgameshttps://twitter.com/commongrounddal

We've got Michael McKinney on the podcast today. Michael is the logistics manager of 95 MTG and 95 Game Center in Wilmington and we dig into some really interesting aspects of the way 95 Game Center runs and how it built up the singles side of the business. We talk about the differences between the pay-to-play model versus a free game space, how 95 MTG grew into a Magic singles powerhouse with their own custom built software, how to keep things fresh and interesting for customers, tapping into what your community really wants, and more.Links Mentionedhttps://95mtg.com/95gamecenter.comA digital marketing strategy is crucial to your game store's success. In order to grow, you need to get your store in front of new customers and the most effective way to do that is online using strategies like Google ads, email marketing, social media, and content marketing. This is where the Manaverse Marketing Agency comes in. We bring in new customers to your online store and physical store front using a comprehensive digital marketing strategy that we build around your brand and existing operation, and then implement for you. Book a 30 minute strategy session with us to get your game store marketing plan created for free. It's yours to keep either way so you have nothing to lose. Go to manaversesaga.com/mma to book your call and let's take your game store to the next level.

Daniel Vander Kooy comes onto the Manaverse Podcast and talks about the OGL, whether Wizards of the Coast is killing the golden goose, what's happening in the hobby industry, and how game store owners can prepare. Get a customized digital marketing strategy for your game store by booking a free 45 minute strategy session with us. We will do a deep dive on the six main areas of digital marketing for your game store and identify what's working and what can be improved on, create a customized strategy based on your brand, and show how we can implement everything for you. Book your strategy session at manaversesaga.com/mma

Erik Bigglestone makes his return debut on the Manaverse Podcast to share his experience dealing with an ADA lawsuit last year and talk about ways for game stores to protect their businesses from predatory actors. We discuss how Games of Berkeley was targeted last year for an Accessibility claim out of New York, the pattern of certain plaintiffs and lawyers in serving businesses in the local game store community, why making your website accessible needs to be a high priority for every game store with a website (pretty much everyone in the US at this point) and the solutions that are available right now.Links MentionedCase Tracker: https://www.pacermonitor.comGames of Berkeley Case: https://www.pacermonitor.com/public/case/45245700/Toro_v_Evil_Empire_Inc,_dba_Games_of_Berkeleyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_lawsuit_against_public_participationRemediation Company #1: https://216digital.com/Remediation Company #2: https://adasitecompliance.com/Lawyer that handled Erik's case: https://www.steinllp.com/https://www.accessibility.com/search?term=mars+khaimov&type=SITE_PAGE&type=LANDING_PAGE&type=BLOG_POST&type=LISTING_PAGETry Accessibe free for 7 days: manaversesaga.com/ada (affiliate link)See how accessible your website is: https://accessibe.com/accessscanIf your shop is based in the US, your game store's website may be a huge liability for you. Recently passed legislation has made the internet a public accommodation and that means that if your website isn't accessible, you're at risk of serious fines from the government and especially lawsuits. Game stores in particular are being targeted by a law firm in New York and if you don't want to be served with a five digit lawsuit, you need a solution. The best option on the market is AccessiBe. AccessiBe is an affordable AI based app that automatically makes your website accessible for all sorts of people and protects you with an accessibility statement and litigation support. It's an all in one win-win solution for game stores that only takes 48 hours to protect your business and make it more accessible to the people that need it.You can grab this deal by signing up for a free 7 day trial by going to manaversesaga.com/ada.

Hypothesis: Customer Lifetime Value highly correlates to a high number of positive interactions within the first 100 days, and the likelihood of those interactions is highly correlated to to the quality of the experience in the first 100 seconds.Your game store may not be selling gym memberships, but games and hobbies are still part of your customer's lifestyles so that puts your store in a similar space. Find out what you can learn from a successful Crossfit gym and how the first 100 days of a customer's experience with your store determines the next 3 to 5 years.Get a customized digital marketing strategy for your game store by booking a free 45 minute strategy session with us. We will do a deep dive on the six main areas of digital marketing for your game store and identify what's working and what can be improved on, create a customized strategy based on your brand, and show how we can implement everything for you. Book your strategy session at manaversesaga.com/mma

We've got Adam Scholtz on the podcast. Adam is the owner of Cosmic Games in Bellingham. Cosmic Games is Bellingham's premier source for Magic: The Gathering, Pokemon Trading Card Game, Video Games and more.Links Mentioned for Cosmic Gameshttps://www.cosmicbham.com/https://www.facebook.com/cosmicbhamhttps://www.instagram.com/cosmicgamesbham/https://discord.gg/3aAVJj6tWnFriendly Local Game Store (affiliate link)Enrollment is officially open for the April 2023 Digital Marketing Bootcamp!We're taking all the strategies that we use for our clients and teaching the frameworks we use to drive online visitors and foot traffic from Google and social media, build up an email list of paying customers, send campaigns that sell, and run ads on Facebook and Google that generate thousands of dollars in sales each month.Plus we're going to cover two of the hottest topics facing game store owners over the coming months and years. The first being accessibility and making sure you and your business are protected from the slew of ADA related lawsuits impacting the industry. We are going to go over how to make sure your website is accessible and compliant, but also how to protect yourself in the event you get served.The second being the recent advent of AI with the release of Chat GPT and how you can leverage this exciting new tool to make your SEO and content creation more effective and easier than ever.It's going to be 4 weeks, 8 sessions of live over the shoulder training with value-packed 90 minute sessions Tuesdays and Thursdays each week plus a little Q&A at the end of each.In case you need a little more incentive, Bootcamp attendees that go on to become MMA clients in the future will get the price of the Bootcamp discounted on the program!We're keeping the Bootcamp small so the sessions can have the maximum impact, so if you want to be one of the 5 attendees for the next bootcamp and score an early bird discount, now's the time to join us!Go to manaversesaga.com/bootcamp and enroll today.

We've got Maryam Al-Hammami on the podcast. Maryam is the co-owner of The Game Chest, a four location local game store business in California. Maryam and I discuss what it takes for a game store to grow into a multi-location business, how making the in-store experience welcoming and diversifying your inventory can change everything, why hiring a great team is crucial to long term success, the merits of having your store inside a mall, and more.This is a great conversation for anyone that wants to set their sights on expanding their game store and growing into a seven figure and beyond business.Links Mentionedhttps://www.instagram.com/thegamechest/https://linktr.ee/thegamechesthttps://www.tiktok.com/@thegamechest?lang=enhttps://www.facebook.com/thegamechestDelamo/https://www.facebook.com/GameChestIrvineSpectrum/https://www.facebook.com/thegamechestoc/https://www.facebook.com/theGameChestArcadiaEnrollment is officially open for the April 2023 Digital Marketing Bootcamp!We're taking all the strategies that we use for our clients and teaching the frameworks we use to drive online visitors and foot traffic from Google and social media, build up an email list of paying customers, send campaigns that sell, and run ads on Facebook and Google that generate thousands of dollars in sales each month.Plus we're going to cover two of the hottest topics facing game store owners over the coming months and years. The first being accessibility and making sure you and your business are protected from the slew of ADA related lawsuits impacting the industry. We are going to go over how to make sure your website is accessible and compliant, but also how to protect yourself in the event you get served.The second being the recent advent of AI with the release of Chat GPT and how you can leverage this exciting new tool to make your SEO and content creation more effective and easier than ever.It's going to be 4 weeks, 8 sessions of live over the shoulder training with value-packed 90 minute sessions Tuesdays and Thursdays each week plus a little Q&A at the end of each.In case you need a little more incentive, Bootcamp attendees that go on to become MMA clients in the future will get the price of the Bootcamp discounted on the program!We're keeping the Bootcamp small so the sessions can have the maximum impact, so if you want to be one of the 5 attendees for the next bootcamp and score an early bird discount, now's the time to join us!Go to manaversesaga.com/bootcamp and enroll today.

We've got David Finn on the podcast. David is the owner of Giga-Bites Cafe in Marietta, near Atlanta. Giga-Bites Café was founded by David Finn 14 years ago and is the host for a gaming community of thousands, and is Atlanta's best stocked tabletop retail space. David is also the owner of Bridge Distribution specializing in a huge variety of hobby products. Links Mentionedhttps://giga-bitescafe.com/https://www.facebook.com/GigaBitesTabletopCafehttps://www.facebook.com/davidhorsefinnhttps://bridgedist.com/Enrollment is officially open for the April 2023 Digital Marketing Bootcamp!We're taking all the strategies that we use for our clients and teaching the frameworks we use to drive online visitors and foot traffic from Google and social media, build up an email list of paying customers, send campaigns that sell, and run ads on Facebook and Google that generate thousands of dollars in sales each month.Plus we're going to cover two of the hottest topics facing game store owners over the coming months and years. The first being accessibility and making sure you and your business are protected from the slew of ADA related lawsuits impacting the industry. We are going to go over how to make sure your website is accessible and compliant, but also how to protect yourself in the event you get served.The second being the recent advent of AI with the release of Chat GPT and how you can leverage this exciting new tool to make your SEO and content creation more effective and easier than ever.It's going to be 4 weeks, 8 sessions of live over the shoulder training with value-packed 90 minute sessions Tuesdays and Thursdays each week plus a little Q&A at the end of each.In case you need a little more incentive, Bootcamp attendees that go on to become MMA clients in the future will get the price of the Bootcamp discounted on the program!We're keeping the Bootcamp small so the sessions can have the maximum impact, so if you want to be one of the 5 attendees for the next bootcamp and score an early bird discount, now's the time to join us!Go to manaversesaga.com/bootcamp and enroll today.

We've got Christopher Wood and Deon on the podcast today. Chris is the owner of Modern Table Top Gaming, a WPN Premium store in South Chesterfield, Virginia. MTTG is a fantastically executed game store with an epic sign out front and we dig into what makes the store tick and how they earned the WPN Premium status.https://moderntabletoprva.com/Check out other episodes of the Manaverse Podcast https://www.manaversesaga.com/podcasts/The Complete FLGS Digital Marketing Course: By the end of this 21 day step-by-step course, you'll have all the pieces of the digital marketing puzzle put together for your game store.https://www.manaversesaga.com/flgs/Manaverse Marketing Agency: Book your call to find out if your game store is a good fit for the paid ads and email marketing automation system and learn how we can plug it into your business.https://www.manaversesaga.com/autopilot/Make Your Site Accessible: Start a 7 day free trial of AccessiBe and make your website accessible in the next 48 hours.https://www.manaversesaga.com/ada/

We've got Whitman Bottiger, the owner of Critical Hit Games on the the podcast today. Critical Hit Games is a WPN Premium game store in Abingdon, Maryland carrying the classic selection of TCG's, miniatures, RPGs, and board games with a special focus on custom TCG formats.Game stores can be an intimidating environment for customers who've never been to one before, so we discuss how to make your game store more approachable and friendly to newcomers.Tons of nuggets in this episode. Check it out!Links Mentioned In The Showhttps://crit-hit.comhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/SmallGameStoreSanctuaryCheck out other episodes of the Manaverse Podcast https://www.manaversesaga.com/podcasts/The Complete FLGS Digital Marketing Course: By the end of this 21 day step-by-step course, you'll have all the pieces of the digital marketing puzzle put together for your game store.https://www.manaversesaga.com/flgs/Manaverse Marketing Agency: Book your call to find out if your game store is a good fit for the paid ads and email marketing automation system and learn how we can plug it into your business.https://www.manaversesaga.com/autopilot/Make Your Site Accessible: Start a 7 day free trial of AccessiBe and make your website accessible in the next 48 hours.https://www.manaversesaga.com/ada/

I've got D from Versus Games in San Francisco with me on today and one of the most consistent threads in our conversation on what makes Versus Games successful is marketing. We kept coming back to how much D's marketing background shaped the business from the start and how important it is for game stores to have their marketing locked down if they want to grow in the future.As you can probably guess, I couldn't agree more. Over the past year and half, I've been working with game stores to shape their marketing strategies and in that time helped them generate $100's of thousands in sales and add thousands of new subscribers to their email lists.I've seen first hand what kinds of impacts effective digital marketing strategies can have on a business. But the trouble is marketing is a big subject. It takes time and effort to learn all the different tools, and platforms, and principles. And running a game store is a full time job in itself. Sometimes it can feel more like working two jobs at the same time. Especially now, during the busiest shopping season of the year!And while I fully acknowledge the stress and pressure you're under right now leading up to Christmas, marketing your game store is not something you can ignore. My goal is to make it easier for game store owners to leverage digital marketing and grow their businesses. If you just want someone to implement cutting edge digital strategies for your game store, we can do that for you. Head to manaversesaga.com/mma and book a time on the calendar and we'll happily put together a customized plan for you game store.This time next week, you could have the frameworks and systems installed in your business that capture more email subscribers, drive more traffic to your website from Google, and sell directly with email campaigns and paid traffic.The same powerful strategies that the major game retailers use to reach millions of customers every month.But I've also been working on codifying what we do on a 1 to 1 basis with clients and making it more affordable and approachable. This is why I've created the Complete FLGS Digital Marketing Course. It's specifically designed to teach our systems in a way that's easy to implement by breaking everything down and making it step-by-step.In the course I reveal exactly how we structure email campaigns, how we connect all the different platforms so that everything is integrated and automated as possible, how we build ads that sell directly to customers on Google and Facebook, how we improve webpages so they pull in organic traffic, and more. All the techniques we use for our clients to increase their revenue and sell thousands of dollars of product online are in there.Just to give you a quick idea of what kinds of strategies we're talking about, we recently set up Winning Campaign #2 (revealed in Module 5 of the course) in one client's business and in a mere 10 days and $100 in ad spend, generated over $2000 in sales!The course is broken out into 21 days and each day there is a relatively short video walking you through one particular strategy or tool for you to implement in your business. By the end of the 21 days, you'll have all the pieces of the digital marketing puzzle put together for your game store.On top of all that, you also get a bunch of resources along the way to help guide your marketing efforts, and the course includes four 30 minute coaching calls with me to use as you see fit.We can go over your website, review your ads, or simply talk strategy. The coaching calls are yours to make sure you get everything implemented.Whether you're a beginner or an experienced marketer looking to hone your skills, the Complete FLGS Digital Marketing Course has something for everyone.Plus, with lifetime access and regular updates, you'll have all the resources you need to keep your marketing efforts up-to-date and effective.Plus plus, you can save 51% off the price tag if you use the code "2023" to enroll before the end of the year!You can check out the course at manaversesaga.com/flgsWith that said, let's dive into the interview!Linkshttps://www.versusgamessf.com/https://www.facebook.com/VersusGamesSF/[email protected]://twitter.com/Versus_Games_SF

We're going across the pond to talk to Patrick ten Hoorn, the owner of Spellenhuis in the Netherlands! Patrick talks about his journey of taking his dream to open a stylish game cafe and turning it into a reality, navigating the choppy waters of the hobby industry, and how he grew the business into multiple locations.Linkshttps://www.spellenhuis.nl/https://www.facebook.com/Spellenhuishttps://twitter.com/spellenhuishttps://www.youtube.com/user/Spellenhuis1/videoshttps://www.instagram.com/spellenhuis/[email protected] Black Friday SaleIf your shop is based in the US, your game store's website may be a huge liability for you. Recently passed legislation has made the internet a public accommodation and that means that if your website isn't accessible, you're at risk of serious fines from the government and especially lawsuits. Game stores in particular are being targeted by a law firm in New York and if you don't want to be served with a five digit lawsuit, you need a solution. The best option on the market is AccessiBe. AccessiBe is an affordable AI based app that automatically makes your website accessible for all sorts of people and protects you with an accessibility statement and litigation support. It's an all in one win-win solution for game stores that only takes 48 hours to protect your business and make it more accessible to the people that need it, and AccessiBe is running a Thanksgiving sale from Nov 23 to the 29th, so you can save 30% on your license. Right now is a great time to make your website more accessible, protect your business, and save money, all at the same time.You can grab this deal by signing up for a free 7 day trial by going to manaversesaga.com/ada. That's manaversesaga.com/ada.

Today we're talking with Pat Fuge. Pat is the Head Gnome of Gnome Games, Wisconsin’s Family Game store, with locations across the Fox Valley for customers to shop and play in. Pat talks about the early days of Gnome Games and how his approach to planning has helped expand to multiple locations and even venture into the world of gaming cafes.Linkshttps://gnomegames.com/https://www.facebook.com/GnomeGamesWorld/Black Friday and Cyber Monday coming up fast, and right after that is the busiest shopping season of the year. If you want to make the most of the last two months of 2022, marketing your game store online should be at the top of your list which is why the FLGS Digital Marketing Bootcamp is back starting Nov 7, 2022. We're taking all the strategies that we use for our clients and teaching the frameworks we use to drive online and foot traffic from Google and social media, build up an email list of paying customers, send campaigns that sell, and run ads on Facebook and Google that generate thousands of dollars in sales each month.It's going to be 6 days of live training with a value-packed hour session each day plus a little Q&A at the end.In case you need a little more incentive, Bootcamp attendees that go on to become MMA clients in the future will get the price of the Bootcamp discounted on the program!We're keeping the Bootcamp small so the sessions can have the maximum impact, so if you want to be one of the 10 attendees for the last Bootcamp of the year, now's the time to join us!Go to manaversesaga.com/bootcamp and enroll today.

Today we're talking with Rob Gruber, aka The Elf King. Rob is the owner of Good Times Games in Prince Rupert, British Columbia and he's built an incredible business by becoming somewhat of a local celebrity and personality. Rob plays the game store game a little bit differently and today we're going to talk about his approach to working within a small community and what sets his business apart.Linkshttps://good-times-games.myshopify.com/Good Times Games on Facebook If your shop is based in the US, your game store's website may be a huge liability for you. Recently passed legislation has made the internet a public accommodation and that means that if your website isn't accessible, you're at risk of serious fines from the government and especially lawsuits. Game stores in particular are being targeted by a law firm in New York and if you don't want to be served with a five digit lawsuit, you need a solution. The best option on the market is AccessiBe. AccessiBe is an affordable AI based app that automatically makes your website accessible for all sorts of people and protects you with an accessibility statement and litigation support. It's an all in one win-win solution for game stores that only takes 48 hours to protect your business and make it more accessible to the people that need it. You can sign up for a free 7 day trial by going to manaversesaga.com/ada and protect your business starting today. Go to manaversesaga.com/ada now.I'm also looking for a few more stores that want to make the end of 2022 their best quarter yet! I'm opening up a few more slots for clients of the Manaverse Marketing Agency this month so if you're either in the start up phase of opening up your game store and want to kick things off with a powerful digital marketing strategy that's been proven to attract customers and drive sales from day 1, or you're an established game store that wants to expand operations and use digital strategies like email marketing and paid advertising to grow rapidly, let's chat! Go to manaversesaga.com/mma and we'll put together a custom Q4 marketing plan for your business and talk about how we can make it happen for you!

Here's what we knowIf you've been active in the game store owner groups on Facebook you've probably seen the posts recently about game stores and publishers being targeted by a law firm in New York and being sued for lack of ADA compliance.So far they've sued Crafty Games of Washington, Games of Berkeley in California, Black Rowan Games in Tracy, California, GMT Games in Hanford, California, GameScape North in San Rafael, California, GameKastle and more. This is not an exhaustive list by any means but California in particular seems to be a hotspot.But let's back it up a bit.What exactly is accessibility and ADA compliance?Without getting too into the weeds on the legislation, web accessibility is essentially a set of rules, behaviors, code standards, and design guidelines that were created by the W3C and are called the WCAG 2.1. The WCAG 2.1 is a massive 1,000-page guidebook that encapsulates a range of disabilities that go from hindering internet use to making internet use impossible without adjustments. This spectrum actually comprises 20-25% of the general population depending on if we're going with the CDC or WHO. There are many disabilities covered, and the primary categories that require attention are: ● blind people using screen-readers, ● the motor-impaired using only the keyboard to navigate, ● epilepsy, color blindness, ● cognitive and learning disabilities, ● visual impairments, and more.What are the risks of having a non-compliant website?Non-compliance penalties are no joke, as they can go as high as $75,000 even for the first violation. The more you fail to respect the requirements, the higher the penalties will be. As a small business, it is in your interest to ensure that your website is accessible to people with disabilities. Not only will this increase the number of customers you can serve, but it will also protect you from some nasty fines and lawsuits.From what we're seeing, the firm going around and suing game stores is usually looking for settlement amounts in the $20k range and they apparently do this for a living. And part of the shakedown is when they serve game stores the lawsuit, in order to become compliant they suggest working with specific companies they are associated with. So in some cases, not only do they exhort a settlement from the business, they also generate revenue for their associates at the same time.What can you do about it?So you basically have three options. Two of which I recommend and one that's mostly a waste of time. The first one is to go with a web accessibility plugin. These are usually free or very inexpensive and apparently get a website to about 10% of the way there. You probably shouldn't go this route since your business will still be exposed to the risk of lawsuits and fines, and it's not particularly effective on the actual accessibility side of things.The second is to hire a company to make the necessary changes for you. This is the most expensive option, but if you can find a good web developer to work with that can show you what needs to be changed, you can also get your staff to do the work by hand over time. For stores with big websites this can be a major challenge since even just adding alt text to potentially thousands of product images and pages is a ton of work. This kind of work can cost anywhere from $20,000 to $40,000 and takes months to accomplish.If you've built out the inventory for your online store you know what I'm talking about. Imagine doing that all over again, or paying someone else to do it.The third solution is something more AI based like AccessiBe. Full disclosure here. I recently worked with a client to figure out how we should protect their new store from these lawsuits and we settled on AccessiBe because it was clearly the best option on the market from our perspective. Since then I've joined their partner program and am going to be recommending their product for clients we work with moving forward.I get a commission when I refer someone to AccessiBe so keep that in mind, but I believe it's by far the best solution on the market right now for protecting your business. You can sign up for AccessiBe and get your website protected today by going to manaversesaga.com/adaClient's that sign up with the Manaverse Marketing Agency also get a special discount on AccessiBe, but I'll talk about that a bit later.AccessiBe is an AI-powered machine-learning software that was developed with the understanding that successfully automating the process creates a simple, immediate, affordable,and compliant solution that serves as a win-win for the business owner and people with disabilities.Without getting too technical, AccessiBe uses AI to analyze your website and automatically generates all the additional meta data that accessibility tools require to process your site. After around 48 hours after installation, the software generates all the necessary changes and when someone visits your website, they can use the widget to convert the sit

New round table episode!Wizard's new $999 Beta booster pack product, The future of the friendly local game store, Are game cafes the natural evolution of the FLGS?What separates good retail from bad,And more.Matthew Vercant and Pat Fuge join me to discuss the future of the friendly local game store and speculate on the future of Magic: the Gathering. Are lawsuits incoming? Is the game cafe model the only way to succeed in a world of ecommerce?Listen to the episode and let us know what you think is coming over the next 10 years!Just Games Rochesterhttps://www.justgamesrochester.com/https://facebook.com/justgamesrochesterhttps://instagram.com/justgamesrochesterhttps://twitter.com/[email protected] Gameshttps://gnomegames.com/https://www.facebook.com/GnomeGamesWorld/https://www.facebook.com/GnomeGamesIf you're in the start up phase of opening up your game store and want to kick things off with a powerful digital marketing strategy that's been proven to attract customers and drive sales from day 1, or you're an established game store that wants to expand operations and use digital strategies like email marketing and paid advertising to grow rapidly, let's chat! Go to manaversesaga.com/mma and we'll put together a custom Q4 marketing plan for your business and talk about how we can make it happen for you!