Jun 8, 20261h 6m
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...
business
The Manaverse Podcast
Hosted by Tom Traplin · business · EN
About this Podcast:
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.
Pitch Analysis
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Contact path
Verified email
Booking probability
35%
Guest openness
Selective
80/100
Required Score
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Signup to Generate a PitchQuestions about The Manaverse Podcast
What is The Manaverse Podcast about?
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.
Who hosts The Manaverse Podcast?
The Manaverse Podcast is hosted by Tom Traplin. The show has published 170 episodes to date.
What has The Manaverse Podcast covered recently?
Recent episodes include "MVP164: Brass Dragon Games - Building a Game Store Around People, Not Product" (8 June 2026, 66 minutes), "MVP163: Tariffs, Trade, and the Future of Tabletop" (25 March 2026, 58 minutes), and "MVP162: Mastering Your Store's Google Business Profile with Bill Hibbler" (31 January 2026, 66 minutes).
How often does The Manaverse Podcast publish?
The Manaverse Podcast publishes roughly every few months, with episodes averaging 41 minutes across 170 episodes.
How hard is it to get booked on The Manaverse Podcast?
Booking probability for The Manaverse Podcast is 35%, and the host is rated Selective on guests. The Manaverse Podcast requires a Pod Score of 80 or higher. The Manaverse Podcast's contact route on record: verified email.
Who should pitch The Manaverse Podcast?
The strongest fits for The Manaverse Podcast are Sporting Goods, Hobby & Music Stores. The Manaverse Podcast has a business audience.
About the host
Tom Traplin hosts The Manaverse Podcast, a business podcast with 170 episodes published.
Verified host email: ████████@████.comSign in to unlock →
Recent episodes
Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.
- Mar 25, 202658 min
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...
- Jan 31, 20261h 6m
"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...
- Dec 10, 202518 min
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...
- Oct 20, 202516 min
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...
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Episode #159
MVP159: Is Your FLGS Ready For Q4?
Oct 3, 202527 minQ4 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...
- Sep 4, 202545 min
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...
- Jul 8, 202530 min
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...
Episode #156
MVP156: SortSwift - The Ultimate TCG Ecosystem
Jun 13, 202543 minMikah, 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...
- Jun 7, 202540 min
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...
- May 28, 202540 min
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...
- Apr 29, 202539 min
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...
- Apr 8, 20251h 5m
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...
- Feb 4, 202543 min
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...
- Jan 27, 202511 min
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."...
- Sep 20, 202442 min
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...
Episode #148
MVP148: Local Game Stores Can Save The World
Aug 29, 202414 minHow Game Stores Can Change Lives and Build Community In today's episode of the Manaverse Podcast, I dive deep into a topic that's been on my mind a lot lately: the growing loneliness and division many of us are...
- Aug 7, 20241h 1m
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...
- May 15, 202457 min
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...
- Apr 23, 202446 min
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...
Recent guests
Recent guests on The Manaverse Podcast. Study who booked and why before you pitch.
D
David Finn
VP, AEHIS, AEHIT, & AEHIA, CHIME, College of Healthcare Information Management Executives
M
Mickie Kennedy
The Startup Spotlight Specialist, eReleases Press Release Distribution
A
Andrew Johnson
leadership advisor and author of Iron Sharpens Iron, The House Always Wins Media Network
A
Alan Blakeborough
Founder and CEO, launchpadtv.com
Best industries to pitch The Manaverse Podcast for
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