The Forge Hobbies & Games

The Forge Hobbies & Games is a tabletop game store in Houston, at Memorial and Eldridge, that pairs a hobby shop with a large play space. It opened in December 2021 and runs events seven nights a week. Miniature wargaming is the heart of the place, but card players have their own corner of the shelves and a Saturday Pokémon tournament. It suits players who want a table to sit at and a community to play with, and painters who want a station to work at while they are in the store.

What's on the shelves

Trading cards are sold sealed only. There are no singles cases and no bulk bins; the card wall is boosters, bundles and preconstructed decks. The card games carried are Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering, One Piece Card Game, Flesh and Blood, Gundam TCG, Star Wars Unlimited and Riftbound.

The rest of the store is broader than the card wall suggests. Warhammer holds the deepest shelf space, and the shelves also cover other miniature wargames, roleplaying games, board games and a full hobby section with paints, brushes, bases and battle mats. A store built around that range works well for someone who plays more than one kind of game.

Weekly play

A certified Pokémon judge runs the Saturday tournament, and the store also hosts Pokémon prerelease events.

The play space

The store has more than 20 gaming tables, dressed with free-to-use terrain. Open-play tables are walk-in and cannot be reserved. Two private RPG rooms can be booked ahead through Square, up to four weeks out. An open paint station runs during all store hours. Event tickets are also sold through Square, and the store takes bookings by phone. Beyond cards, the calendar fills the other nights with miniature games Monday through Saturday and occasionally Sunday.

New releases arrive every Saturday, when the store opens at 10 AM.

Hours and getting there

The store sits directly across from Fire Station 78, which is the easiest landmark to look for.

History

The store opened December 3, 2021, founded by owner Sam Stilley with the late Dallas Collett, whom the community remembers as the Forgemaster. The aim from the start was a home for hobbyists, a place where first-time customers become regulars.

The local scene

Several other shops sit within a few miles: R & M Collectibles is about half a mile away, and Heroes Collectables and Atomic Monkey Comics are each about 1.7 miles out, with Geek'd Collectibles at about 2.1 miles. For a bigger floor, Legends Card Con is a card show about 16.8 miles away, with its next date on October 31, 2026.