3 Gear Games

3 Gear Games is a tabletop game shop at 25 C Street in Laurel, Maryland, a side street just off Main Street in the historic part of town. It opened in 2019 and runs as a game room as much as a retail shop: board games, role-playing games and miniatures on the shelves, with a steady week of drop-in play. It suits board gamers, tabletop role-players and casual Magic: The Gathering players first, with Pokémon singles and product for collectors.

What's on the shelves

Board games, new and old, are the core of the stock, alongside role-playing game books, miniature figures, handcrafted local art, crystals and self-care items. The card side covers Magic: The Gathering and Pokémon. Recent arrivals ranged from family and party games to deluxe Dungeons & Dragons sets and Daggerheart books.

Preorders have narrowed. Since September 24, 2026, the store takes preorders for Magic: The Gathering only, with no preorders for other collectible or trading card products. Customers holding Pokémon preorders for the 30th Anniversary Celebration set should know it is arriving in waves, so not everything lands on release day. Refunds on those orders are processed only after the final wave ships in early December.

Weekly play

The week is built around a $6 game room day pass, which covers the regular events. Gold tier supporters of the shop play free.

Casual Magic night is open to all levels and includes one booster for showing up and another for playing a round, with Gold tier supporters paying $7.50.

Role-playing and special events

One-shot role-playing games are one-night adventures in Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder and other systems, with no campaign commitment. Recent listings included Daggerheart, Coyote and Crow and Asunder one-shots at $10 each. Starfinder Society 2e meets twice a month, and seasonal role-playing campaigns run for about three months at a time. Game masters can sign up to run one-shots or a seasonal campaign. A Dungeons & Dragons program for teens and tweens ran in October.

Every year the shop plays for 24 hours straight in an Extra Life gameathon, with a portion of proceeds donated to children's hospitals. At the shop's sixth anniversary in 2025 it donated $3,500 to Extra Life for the Children's Miracle Network. It has also appeared at the Laurel Festival, HoCo Pride and Realmscape, and occasionally hosts crafting workshops.

Memberships

A three-tier supporter membership backs the shop directly. The Gold tier comes with free game room passes, and perks across the tiers include 10% off all orders and early access to events.

Hours and getting there

Parking is free on the street in front of the shop and in the lot directly across from it, while the business complex down the street is a tow risk.

History

3 Gear Games was founded in 2019 and is run by two co-owners, with a poodle mascot named Cinnamuffin as morale officer. It is a majority Black woman-owned business and a sponsor of Tabletop Gaymers, a nonprofit that promotes visibility for the LGBTQIA+ community through tabletop gaming. Local coverage has included a CBS18 segment and a Laurel Board of Trade feature.

The local scene

Several game and collectibles shops sit within a few minutes of the store. Comic Classics is 0.1 miles away, Sports Card Heroes is 0.5 miles away and Hobby Works - Laurel is 0.9 miles away, all in Laurel. The Family Game Store in Savage is 2.3 miles away, and Clandestine Comics in Laurel is 2.9 miles away.