Welcome to the November Bulletin, our monthly round-up of UK tabletop news. Winter is shaping up nicely: Magic has revealed its whole 2027 line-up, Riftbound starts a new season in January, and Pokémon TCG and Warhammer both have big releases this month. We also have three events for your diary and a Cardiff gaming centre with something on almost every night of the week.
Venue news
- Bad Moon Cafe Borough, London. The Borough gaming cafe now runs Star Wars: Unlimited Casual Mondays and Magic Commander Wednesdays from 18:00 each week, plus fortnightly Malifaux on Tuesdays. Tickets are booked through the cafe.
- Blodband, Salisbury. The community-focused shop has added a Tuesday after-school club, Thursday evening painting sessions and a Friday How to Play Blood Bowl night, alongside its free Monday Commander night.
- Troll Trader Truro, Truro. Geek Retreat Truro closed in April, and Troll Trader Truro now trades from the same spot at The Leats as a Wizards Play Network and Disney Lorcana store, so card game nights carry on in the city.
- A few fond farewells. We have updated the directory for five venues that have closed: Geek Retreat Glasgow, Sword & Board in Exeter, DamianTradesTCG in St Ives, Retro Relics Games Cafe in Market Lavington and Triangle Card Games in Coleraine. Thank you to all of them for the game nights.
Games news
Pokémon TCG: Mega Evolution Delta Reign lands on 6 November, and the 30th Celebration party carries on the same day with three new collections: the Ditto Premium Collection, the Figure Collection (Mew or Mewtwo) and the Ultra-Premium Collection. If you would rather jump straight into a match, the Mega Greninja ex League Battle Deck is also new this month (Pokémon).
Magic: The Gathering has shared its full 2027 schedule. After Star Trek on 13 November, the year runs Nauctis: The Sunken Realm (5 February), Marvel: Darkhold Destiny (9 April), Kamigawa: Titanbreach (4 June) and Zhalfir (1 October) (Magic: The Gathering).
Marvel: Darkhold Destiny is Magic’s first original story with Marvel, pitting Doctor Strange and Thor against Dormammu and Hela. Prereleases run from 2 to 8 April 2027, and the line-up includes four Commander decks, two Scene Boxes and a Bundle (Wizards Play Network).
Riftbound: Legacy, the sixth set, has Pre-Rift events from 22 to 28 January and launches on 29 January, with Proving Grounds 2nd Edition following on 19 February. A 2027 Continental Championship comes to ExCeL London from 13 to 15 August (Riftbound roadmap).
Riftbound store play gets a refresh with Legacy. Nexus Cups crown each store’s local champion with promos and a winner’s playmat, and the new Challenge Series at selected stores awards Ladder Points for players climbing the competitive ranks. Unused Summoner Skirmish byes can be used at any 2027 Regional or swapped for a promo (Riftbound Local Play).
One Piece Card Game has two new starter decks for the holidays: The Desert Princess and the Pirates (ST-37) on 18 December and Baroque Works (ST-38) on 19 December (One Piece Card Game).
Warhammer Age of Sigmar welcomes the Khazalite Holds, with pre-orders opening next week. The duardin are led by High Kyng Valankrom on his War Throne, backed by Clangunners, Valayan Guardians and Clanshields. Warhammer stores are also giving out festive coins and patches this month (Warhammer Community).
Necromunda fans can pre-order House Orlock now: new gangers, Road Sergeants with Cyber-mastiffs and Ogryn Minders, plus the Underhive Journal, a card pack and gang dice (Saturday pre-orders).
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay turns 40 with an all-new Fifth Edition from UK publisher Cubicle 7. Pre-order the core rulebook and you get a free PDF to start playing straight away (Warhammer Day news).
Venue spotlight: South Wales Gaming Centre, Cardiff
Firestorm Games Cardiff and its South Wales Gaming Centre sit on Sloper Road, a short walk from Cardiff City’s stadium, and the scale is something special. The Battlefields has up to 60 six by four wargaming tables with terrain provided, The Arena has 75 tables for card, board and roleplaying games, and there is a cafe and a board game library you can borrow from when you book a table.
Organised play runs from Tuesday to Sunday:
- Tuesday: Magic Commander and Constructed, Pokémon TCG, Lorcana, Riftbound, Dragon Ball Super Masters, Gundam, D&D Adventurers League and Kill Team
- Wednesday: Flesh and Blood and Cyberpunk TCG
- Thursday: Magic Modern, One Piece, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Final Fantasy TCG, Warhammer 40,000 and a board game club
- Friday: Friday Night Magic, Pokémon TCG casual play and Star Wars: Unlimited
- Weekends: Pokémon TCG Saturday Club, Yu-Gi-Oh! on Saturdays and Flesh and Blood on Sundays
Most card game events cost £7 to £11 a seat, and tickets are cheaper when you book online. The venue is open from 11:00 Tuesday to Friday and from 10:00 at weekends (The Battlefields).
New to the directory
929 venues have joined since the last Bulletin, and 910 of them are chess clubs and cafes, so there is now a friendly board near almost everyone. The directory lists more than 2,200 places to play across the UK. A few to try:
- Mythic Goblin, London: a trading card game shop near Elephant and Castle with locals most evenings for Yu-Gi-Oh!, One Piece, Gundam and Riftbound.
- Bandai Namco Cross Store Camden, London: an official One Piece Card Game shop in the Stables Market with weekly events, including beginner tutorials.
- The Eat Your Greens Chess Club, Leeds: a relaxed monthly social chess club in the city centre, open to all abilities with boards provided.
- Grind & Gambit, Hartlepool: a chess and board game cafe in Seaton Carew with coffee and cakes.
Convention calendar
- Warhammer National Tournament Series, 14 and 15 November, Kempton Park. An official tournament weekend in Surrey with Warhammer 40,000 singles and Age of Sigmar doubles (Warhammer events).
- Dragonmeet, 28 November, London. London’s friendly games convention comes to ExCeL, covering roleplaying games, board games, wargames and miniatures, with seminars, live shows and one of the biggest games trade halls in the UK. Doors open at 09:00 (ExCeL London).
- London Boardgame Show, 23 and 24 January, London. Two family-friendly days of demos, designers and prizes at Corner Corner, Canada Water, with evening live shows nearby. Tickets start at £24.90 (London Boardgame Show).
New-player corner
With Legacy Pre-Rifts coming in January, now is a great moment to learn Riftbound. A Pre-Rift is a relaxed first look at the new set, and our guide on how to play Riftbound covers legends, battlefields and runes, what to buy first and how to find a game night near you.