Forbidden Power

Forbidden Power is a dedicated hobby shop in Msida for collectors and players of trading card games and tabletop wargames. Its tagline is "more than cards", and the shelves bear that out: Pokémon products sit alongside a large Warhammer range, from plastic kits and paints to novels and rulebooks, and the shop doubles as a meeting place for local players.

For a UK visitor, the shop is a handy stop if you want to pick up cards or a model kit while on the island, or if you play competitively and fancy an evening at a tournament with Maltese players. It appears in our directory of toy and games shops in Malta.

Pokémon and other trading card games

Pokémon is the headline range, with decks and other card products for new collectors as well as seasoned players, and the shop staff know the game well enough to help you choose. Fresh stock arrives every month, so it is worth a look if you are hunting for a recent set. Magic and One Piece cards are among the most popular searches in the online store, so players of those games are catered for too.

If your family is planning a longer stay and the children are keen collectors, the shop makes a useful contact; our guide to relocating to Malta from the UK covers the bigger questions of schools, housing and paperwork.

Warhammer miniatures, paints and books

The Warhammer section is extensive. The online catalogue lists more than 1,700 products in stock, with characters, squads, war machines and vehicles, terrain such as the Aegis Defence Line at €65, and individual models including Abaddon the Despoiler at €55 and the Aberrants squad at €35.

Hobbyists will also find the supporting kit that keeps a project moving: hobby paints in a wide spread of colours, dice sets, packs of 32mm bases, army codexes such as the Space Wolves supplement, and boxed datasheet cards. Readers can browse Warhammer novels too, including recent paperbacks and hardbacks such as Above and Beyond at €29. All prices on the site include tax, and members get exclusive discounts.

If you are combining a shopping trip with time in the capital, Msida is a short bus ride from the city centre covered in our Valletta visitor guide. The 8 Till Late and Agenda bookshop is another stop nearby for general reading.

Weekly tournaments and the player community

Tournaments are at the heart of what Forbidden Power does. The shop runs weekly events for Pokémon, Magic and One Piece, open to complete beginners as well as experienced players, and a store calendar lists what is coming up. The play area has tables for organised games, so you can turn up, meet other players and get a match.

An evening of card play is a good option when the sea is too rough for swimming; our Malta weather guide by month shows when showers and windy days are most likely. For more ideas on how to spend your time, see our list of things to do in Malta.

Delivery, returns and getting in touch

You can collect an order from the shop or have it delivered anywhere in Malta and Gozo, and delivery is free once an order passes 80 euros. That suits players staying on the sister island, which our Gozo guide introduces, as well as remote workers settling in for a season, covered in our guide to working remotely from Malta. If a purchase goes wrong, each return is reviewed on its own merits.

Msida is close to the hotels of Gżira and Sliema, so if you are choosing a base, compare the hotels in Sliema and St Julian's or our wider guide to where to stay in Malta by area. For questions about stock, an existing order or tournament entry, use the VisitMalta.co.uk enquiry form on this page and we will send your message on to the Forbidden Power team, who aim to reply within a day.