The Forge is Ground Zero for Houston’s Gaming Community
When The Forge moved just a mile and half west of its previous location to a new home at 15123 Memorial earlier this year, the Energy Corridor District became the heart and soul of Houston’s gaming community – a place where you could walk in looking for a specialty chess set and walk out with the chess set you’d been seeking, along with trading cards, art supplies and an introduction to their most popular game Warhammer 40,000.
David Devier, The Forge’s retail director offers a great tour of the business and an introduction to gaming for the uninitiated. Experienced gamers can jump right in with their own play scenarios, purchase and build a collection of miniature warriors or select from a large collection of specialty dice.
Devier says about 40% of their business is derived from Warhammer 40,000, a miniature wargame first created in 1987. Forty years of play has only strengthened the popularity of the game, which involves battles using miniature models of warriors and fighting vehicles. Competitors create a tabletop battlefield featuring trees, hills and buildings, then move their warriors around the terrain to overcome their opponent’s warriors using dice moves.
At The Forge, a games enthusiast can buy and assemble their game pieces in the retail store, then engage in battles with fellow Warhammer fans in the adjacent game room, featuring a dozen tabletop game boards. Two private rooms also allow gamers to stage private battles. Dimmable lighting and an HDMI-equipped television allow them to be creative in enacting their Warhammer battles.
The Forge is not only about Warhammer. Lively competitions involve other games, including Age of Sigmar, Marvel: Crisis Protocol, Star Wars Shatterpoint and more. Game enthusiasts meet in the gaming room every day for friendly competition. And special evening themed events allow larger competitions built around specific games. Friday nights are Board Game Nights. And monthly Girly Pop Co-Op Nights welcome “ladies, femmes, theys and thems for a night of cozy games, lovely community, creativity, and fun,” according to The Forge website.
If you’re not a gamer, but would like to check it out, the staff at The Forge offer tabletop demonstrations for beginners. Would-be gamers learn how the games are set up, explore characters, and start their journey with experienced staff members who are only too happy to share the gaming experience with newcomers.
The Forge will soon expand into the adjacent empty retail space to create more gaming space. Devier says the card tables will move to the new space, allowing the expansion of the gaming area for Warhammer and other tabletop games.
Whether they arrive as seasoned strategists or complete beginners, visitors to The Forge quickly discover that the real victory isn’t just winning a battle on the tabletop. It’s finding a welcoming community where imagination, creativity and friendly competition are always in play.
Check out The Forge website more information and a calendar of themed game nights.