Hobby Forge

Hobby Forge is a tabletop and trading card game store at 12851 W Bell Rd in Surprise, Arizona, with free open play tables for cards and wargames every day. It carries Warhammer, board games and trading card games, and it keeps late hours on weekends. It suits players who want a place to sit down and play, along with anyone shopping for miniatures or card games on the northwest side of the Phoenix area.

What's on the shelves

The store stocks Warhammer, board games, trading card games and miniatures, and the owners run it as a friendly space for newcomers and longtime players alike. Hobby Forge also sells online, so some of its inventory can be bought without making the trip.

Open play

Free open card tables and free open wargame tables are available every day, as long as there is space. There is no entry fee for sitting down with a deck or an army, which makes the store a handy default for a pickup game on a weeknight when no scheduled event is running. Events and player groups are coordinated through a calendar kept by the store.

Hours and getting there

Hobby Forge is at 12851 W Bell Rd, Ste 116, Surprise, AZ. Evening hours run later on Friday and Saturday, when the store stays open until midnight.

Saturday is the longest day, opening at 10 AM and running to midnight.

The sister store

Hobby Forge shares ownership with Retro Exchange, a toy and collectibles shop at 5140 W. Peoria Ave #100 in Glendale. That store focuses on modern toys, comic books, action figures and more rather than tabletop games, so it is a different kind of trip from the one to Hobby Forge.

The local scene

Several other card and hobby shops sit within a short drive. Sundome Cards & Gifts in Sun City West is the closest at about 1.6 miles. Ghost Cactus Comics in Sun City is about 3.5 miles away, Cardmules at SNC in Youngtown about 3.6 miles, and Surprise Comics about 3.8 miles. Silver Dragon Games in Peoria is about 6.2 miles out, which makes for an easy afternoon of store-hopping for anyone collecting in the area.