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The Bulletin

The Bulletin: October 2026

New sets from Pokémon TCG, Magic, Lorcana and Riftbound, venue openings and moves, three November conventions and a Nottingham café spotlight.

Published 20 October 2026

Welcome to the very first Bulletin, our monthly round-up of UK tabletop news. Autumn is a busy season for new sets, so this issue has release dates for six card games, a few venue openings and moves, three conventions for your November diary and a Nottingham café that runs card game nights every day of the week.

Venue news

  • Noughts & Nibbles, Bicester. A new independent board game café in the old bank on Sheep Street, open since March. It has hundreds of games, barista coffee and food, with a table charge of £2.50 per person per hour and free play for under 5s (Noughts & Nibbles).
  • Nat20 Gaming, Hailsham. A tabletop shop and hub on the High Street that held its grand opening in May. It runs D&D groups for different ages, including SEND friendly groups, a beginners RPG group and Magic Commander competitions.
  • XPG, Dover. XPG has moved to the Whitfield Outlet (Unit E, The Old Boiler House, CT16 2HQ) and still stocks Pokémon TCG, Magic, One Piece, Lorcana, Warhammer and board games (XPG).
  • The Movie Shack, Bexleyheath. Its much-loved Pokémon TCG and Magic sessions now run at Bexley Central Library, led by the same staff and volunteers (Enjoy Bexleyheath).

Games news

Disney Lorcana: Hyperia City brings Coco to the game and introduces ink drops, a one-off boost of extra ink. Prereleases began on 16 October and the set is on general sale from 23 October (Disney Lorcana).

Riftbound: Radiance, the game’s fifth set, launches worldwide on 23 October, and Riftbound’s first Regional Championship takes place in Stuttgart from 6 to 8 November (Riftbound).

Pokémon TCG: Mega Evolution Delta Reign arrives on 6 November, led by Mega Rayquaza ex. You can play it early: Play! Pokémon stores start selling the prerelease Build & Battle Box on 24 October, each with a ready-to-play 40-card deck, four boosters and a foil promo (Pokémon).

One Piece Card Game has two releases lined up: Extra Booster Heroines Edition vol.2 (EB-05) on 30 October, with Nico Robin as a new Leader, then OP-18 The Dominance of God on 20 November, featuring Water Seven and the Holy Knights of God (One Piece Card Game).

Magic: The Gathering | Star Trek prereleases start on 6 November and the set launches on 13 November. Play Boosters and Prerelease Packs are on track for both. In Europe, some products (English Collector Boosters, English Commander decks, Scene Boxes and Beam Me Up Bundles among them) may arrive after launch, so check with your store before you plan a big purchase. Wizards’ 12 October Banned and Restricted update kept Standard, Pioneer and Modern as they are, and the next update is due on 30 November (Wizards of the Coast).

D&D: World of Warcraft takes Dungeons & Dragons to Azeroth on 17 November, with early access for D&D Beyond Master Tier members from 3 November (D&D Beyond).

Star Wars: Unlimited: Homeworlds is out now. In the UK, Carbonite Boosters are the only product arriving later, so standard boosters and prerelease boxes are on shelves (Star Wars: Unlimited).

Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG has a new Forbidden & Limited List, in effect since 21 September, with Mind Master and Elder Entity Norden back at Unlimited from 28 September (Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG).

Warhammer fans have plenty to look forward to after the Big Autumn Preview: the Legion of the Damned for Kill Team, Codex: Adeptus Custodes, a new Seraphon battletome and Night Goblins for Blood Bowl (Warhammer Community).

Venue spotlight: Dice Cup Café, Nottingham

Dice Cup Café on Mansfield Road, by Victoria Bus Station, calls itself Nottingham’s first and largest board game café, and it is easy to see why. The library holds over 1,000 games, there is proper coffee and a vegan friendly menu, and well-behaved dogs are welcome.

The events calendar is the real draw, with something on every day of the week:

  • Monday: Yu-Gi-Oh!, Riftbound and a half price gaming social
  • Tuesday: Pokémon TCG, Dragon Ball Super, Gundam and Go Club
  • Wednesday: Flesh and Blood, Magic Modern and One Piece
  • Thursday: Final Fantasy TCG, Digimon and another half price social
  • Friday: Magic Commander and Magic Draft
  • Weekends: Pokémon TCG trade and play and Lorcana on Saturdays, Magic Commander on Sundays

Library play is £8 for adults and teens (£3 to play your own games), under-13s play free, and Mondays and Thursdays are £4. For tournaments, arrive 15 minutes early to register (Dice Cup Café).

New to the directory

The Hobby Warehouse launched with a flourish: 1,443 venues have joined since the start of September, and the directory now lists 1,454 places to play across the UK. That is 838 shops, 413 clubs, 124 cafés, 38 bars and 30 other spaces such as libraries. A few to try:

Convention calendar

  • MidCon, 6 to 8 November, Kenilworth. A weekend board game convention at the Holiday Inn Kenilworth with a bring and buy. Weekend tickets are £35 and day tickets £15 (MidCon).
  • Warfare, 14 and 15 November, Farnborough. The Wargames Association of Reading’s show at Farnborough International, open 10:00 to 17:00, with traders, tournaments, participation games and a huge bring and buy (Farnborough International).
  • Battleground, 29 November, Middlesbrough. A free wargames show at Middlesbrough Sports Village from 10:00 to 15:00, with 30 or more traders, display and participation games and a tabletop sale (Battleground).

Crowdfunding to watch

Plants vs. Zombies: The Board Game from Nottingham’s Mantic Games is live on Kickstarter. It is a co-operative family game for 1 to 4 players with a campaign that unlocks new plants and zombies as you go (Mantic Games).

New-player corner

With Delta Reign and Star Trek prereleases on the way, now is a great time to try your first one. A prerelease is a relaxed event at your local shop: you open fresh packs, build a 40-card deck on the day and keep everything you open. Our guide, what is a prerelease?, explains what you get, how long it lasts and how to book a place. Then use the directory to find a shop near you.

See you next month.

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