Gamescape North

Gamescape North is a game store at 1225 4th St in San Rafael, open since 1994 and known for tabletop games of every kind: board games, role-playing games, miniatures, collectible card games, puzzles and modeling projects. Card players can find Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering, One Piece Card Game and Disney Lorcana on the shelves, along with the sleeves, playmats and dice that go with them. It suits families, Warhammer 40K players, Dungeons & Dragons groups and anyone who wants a staffed shop with a regular schedule of play nights.

What's on the shelves

The core of the store is board games, with more than 300 in stock, from classic to contemporary and from simple to complex. Role-playing games, miniature games and collectible card games fill out the rest. The card selection covers Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering, Disney Lorcana, Star Wars: Unlimited and One Piece Card Game. Miniature games are a particular strength, with deep Warhammer 40k and Warhammer: The Old World ranges alongside Age of Sigmar, Kill Team, Infinity, Battletech and several Star Wars miniature lines.

Accessories run to about 220 products from brands including Dragon Shield, Ultra-Pro, Gamegenic, Ultimate Guard, BCW and Chessex. Sleeves come in standard card, Japanese and board game sizes, and the store also stocks playmats (Pokémon and Riftbound designs among them), card binders, storage boxes and polyhedral dice sets from budget resin to metal. Jigsaw puzzles, brain teasers, building projects and a rent-a-game service round out the range.

Weekly play

Dungeons & Dragons tables are capped at five players and are open to all experience levels, with experienced game masters running the sessions; spots are reserved online.

Magic: The Gathering and Warhammer events

Magic drafts cost $20 per player. Players should know the rules well enough to build a deck and play an opponent, and drafts require preregistration in Wizards event software before the night. Constructed play runs $0 to $10 per player, with decks built to the official formats: Modern, Commander, Pauper or Legacy.

Warhammer 40K open play is free to anyone, and the store provides table space and a large terrain selection at no charge. Newcomers can try free demo games with fully painted armies by calling ahead to arrange one. Tournament play costs $20.

Board game night draws on the store's demo library, needs no sign-up and welcomes all experience levels.

Hours and getting there

The store is open seven days a week.

Gamescape North is at 1225 4th St in San Rafael, in Marin County.

History

Gamescape North was founded in 1994 and has served the community for more than thirty years. The store is run in an old-fashioned spirit, built on helpful staff, regular events and an open, friendly gaming community centered on non-electronic games.

The local scene

Several other shops sit close by. Diamond Sports Cards is about 0.1 miles away in San Rafael, Blue Moon Comics about 0.3 miles and Dharma Trading Co about 0.4 miles. Marin Hobby & Gift in San Anselmo is about 1.4 miles away, and Rhodes collectables in San Rafael about 1.5 miles. That makes the block around 4th Street an easy stop for a card player who also wants sports cards or comics.