SPRU has finished its 2026 Nottingham event, and the organisers say another event is being planned. For Games Haven readers, that is the local headline of the week: a city-centre convention built around independent wargames, sculptors, artists, makers, demos and small-table oddities, rather than another broad expo trying to be everything to everyone.
The wider tabletop week was fragmented but useful. Renegade Game Studios and Hasbro renewed their tabletop licensing agreement, White Wolf confirmed that World of Darkness tabletop development and publishing will move in-house from 2027, and Wizards of the Coast opened the first Magic: The Gathering Arena Direct for Reality Fracture. That gives players, retailers, club organisers and collectors a tidy little bundle of practical questions: what should we demo, what should we stock, what should we chase now, and what can safely wait?
SPRU2026 What can we learn from it
SPRU’s official site now says the 2026 event has finished and that the next event is being planned. Its about page describes SPRU as a convention celebrating the independent wargaming scene through games, art, community and design, held at the Albert Hall Conference Centre on 26 September 2026.
That matters because Nottingham already carries a heavy tabletop identity. Warhammer World sits in the city’s gravity well, Mantic Games is local, and the wider East Midlands has a long miniatures heritage. But SPRU’s pitch is smaller, scrappier and arguably more interesting for club nights: independent participation games, vendors, Q&As and talks with designers, sculptors and terrain makers.
The official FAQ lists playable games including Aetherpunk, Tonks, Necropolis, Buff This 2141, Alien Zoology, Thieving Gits, Space Gits, Turnip28 and Hollow Lands, with the venue at the Albert Hall Conference Centre in Nottingham city centre. It also notes practical access details, nearby transport and the venue layout, which is exactly the sort of boring-but-vital information that makes or breaks a day out with miniatures cases, display boards and a slightly optimistic shoulder bag full of dice.
What the exhibitor view adds
An exhibitor retrospective from CJ Shearwood at Improbable Solutions gives a useful ground-level account, published on 28 September. It should be read as one exhibitor’s experience, not as official attendance data. Still, it is valuable because it talks about demo tables, equal exhibitor space, load-in friction, strong footfall at the stand, and the commercial reality of a small maker trying to turn curiosity into sales.
The key takeaway is not “copy SPRU wholesale”. That would be lazy and a tiny bit cursed. The useful lesson is that playable demos matter. Small games often need a handhold: a host, a table, a quick explanation, and a reason for someone to care before they spend money on rules, minis, STLs, zines or terrain.
What this means for players, retailers and clubs
Players
If you mostly play the big systems, SPRU is a nudge to try the weirder end of the cabinet. Indie skirmish games often ask less of your wallet and more of your imagination: a handful of models, some scratch-built terrain, campaign scars, scenario nonsense, and permission to use the odd miniature you painted because it had vibes.
For Nottingham players, the practical move is simple: ask your local club or shop to run a small indie demo afternoon. Not a tournament. Not a grand escalation league. Just three or four tables, short scenarios, and someone friendly enough to teach without treating the rulebook like sacred plumbing.
Retailers
For retailers, the lesson is shelf curation. Independent wargames rarely sell like sealed TCG product or major starter boxes. They need context: a demo copy, a painted sample, a terrain tray, a staff recommendation, or a bundle that makes the first night easy.
SPRU also suggests a route for local partnerships. A Games Haven-style shop does not need to become an indie convention. It can host a micro-version: a maker evening, a terrain clinic, a kitbash night, or a “bring one warband and teach one stranger” session. That gives niche publishers a table and gives customers a reason to browse beyond the obvious ranges.
Clubs
For club organisers, this is a reminder that format matters. A demo table with a 30-minute game and visible components will beat a locked-away campaign system every time when recruiting new players. Make the first experience tactile: dice, terrain, tiny objectives, a clear win condition and a bit of narrative friction.
Collectors
Collectors should keep an eye on show miniatures and small-run sculpts, but calmly. SPRU’s official site points to an official SPRU miniature from Ramshackle Games, and that is the kind of local event item that can develop collector interest. What we do not have is reliable evidence of aftermarket behaviour, so do not treat that as an investment tip. Buy the thing because you like the thing. Radical, I know.
Wider weekly tabletop notes
Renegade and Hasbro renew their deal
The biggest publisher-side news came from Renegade Game Studios, which announced on 1 October that it had renewed its licensing agreement with Hasbro. The agreement covers brands including Transformers, G.I. JOE, Power Rangers, M.A.S.K., My Little Pony, JEM and the Holograms, and ROM the SpaceKnight, alongside classic games including Axis & Allies, Acquire, Diplomacy, Heroscape, Robo Rally and Ikusa.
Renegade also says further announcements are planned for Renegade Con in October, including an all-new deck-building game and upcoming Power Rangers titles. Tabletop Sentinel covered the deal on 2 October, but the core facts are confirmed by Renegade’s own announcement.
For players, this means continuity rather than a sudden shelf shock. For retailers, it means watching Renegade’s 2027 pipeline closely, especially around familiar brands that already have a casual audience. For clubs, Heroscape and Axis & Allies remain the obvious candidates for organised play nights or nostalgia-led events.
The caveat: neither company disclosed the full term of the renewed agreement in the material checked for this article. So, no, we are not inventing a contract length. We are not that desperate for drama.
World of Darkness moves back to White Wolf
The other Renegade-adjacent story points in the opposite direction. White Wolf said on 30 September that it and Renegade Game Studios are parting ways at the end of 2026, with White Wolf’s studio leading World of Darkness tabletop development and publishing from 2027.
Renegade’s own Q&A says it will support World of Darkness through the rest of 2026, that currently announced Renegade World of Darkness titles remain planned, and that previously purchased PDFs will remain accessible through customers’ existing Renegade webstore order histories. It also says Renegade will no longer sell World of Darkness titles after the end of 2026.
For Vampire, Werewolf and Hunter groups, the sensible response is planning, not panic. Check what books your campaign actually needs. Retailers should prepare plain customer guidance, especially around availability windows and digital purchases. Collectors may want to watch the final Renegade releases, but the reprint future is explicitly not confirmed in the checked sources.
Magic: Reality Fracture keeps digital organised play busy
For TCG players, Wizards of the Coast’s 28 September MTG Arena announcement confirmed the Reality Fracture Arena Direct running from 2 to 11 October. The format is Best-of-One Reality Fracture Sealed, with gems and packs for three to six wins and a Reality Fracture Collector Booster box for seven wins, while supplies last.
This is not a local in-store event. It is still relevant for Magic players because digital sealed events often drive set conversation, deck testing and collector interest. Shops and clubs can use that energy lightly: draft chat, sealed practice nights, rules questions, and “what did you open?” chatter. The product and prize details should be checked against Wizards’ official event terms before anyone treats them as evergreen.
What to do next
If you are a Nottingham player, ask your club or local shop for an indie skirmish demo night before the post-SPRU energy fades.
If you run events, build the first session around fast participation games rather than campaign admin. Thirty minutes at a table beats a two-hour rules lecture. Yes, even if the rules lecture has a lovely font.
If you are a retailer, keep three lists: Renegade announcements to watch, World of Darkness stock questions to answer, and local makers who could demo something strange, playable and shelf-sized.
And if you are a collector, remember the boring rule that saves money: buy what you want to own, not what someone online insists will become rare.
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