If you were at Eboracon I, you probably met fellow gamer Mike Smith who travelled all the way from Cumbria. And, as Mike may have told you, he runs the ever-popular Unfurl Your Banners mini-convention in the north-west.
At the end of June, Mike hosted the latest iteration – the second summer gathering – in Thirlmere, near Keswick, attracting about 30 gamers from across the north and Scotland. Thirlmere is a tiny habitation that boasts a pub, a few holiday homes and a community hall. It’s also handy for Hellvellyn and other fell-walking opportunities.
I met Mike at the first PunchedCon back in 2022. We played Quartermaster General 1914, my introduction to the series. We went on to play a Thirty Years War playtest variant of the QMG system with the designer. Towards the end of the evening, Mike was asked to say a few words to the full convention. It was at this stage that he talked about his small event in Cumbria.
Coincidentally, the day after PunchedCon ended I was due to go on holiday to Borrowdale, just south of Keswick. So I talked to Mike about his event, then called Unthirl Your Banners. Thirlmere; Unthirl; geddit?
Whilst up in the Lakes, I stopped by the local Keswick bookshop where Mike works to talk further. Having only just got back into the hobby, I was at litle hesitant about meeting up with heavy grognards. PunchedCon had been ok. I didn’t feel intimidated but I had my reservations. Mike put me at ease, and sold me a couple of Wainwright guides for my walks.
This year’s event ran from Thursday through Sunday. I’d arranged a couple of days beforehand to grab some fell-walking time. The combination works perfectly for me. Mike and I have had a couple of pre-con walks in the past – up Catbells and, overlooking Thirlmere Reservoir, Eagle Crag.
I had a relaxed gaming schedule, partly due to a last minute cancellation. But, I still played five longer games over the four days.
Apart from the games I played, there was the usual mixture of epic multi-map games, multi-player games, pop-up two-players, and not quite war games. These included Commands and Colours Napoleonics, DAK North Africa, Twilight Imperium, Imperial Struggle, Triumph and Tragedy, Conquest and Consequence, Holland ’44 and Fighting Formations.
I started with 1793: Patriots and Traitors, which some of us had played at the last Unfurl. In the first game, we’d struggled with the rules. And, I’d struggled with seeing a path to victory. But, we gave it another try. And, again, we bounced off it. It’s a shame as there is such potential for a good French Revolution political game. But this isn’t that game.
Congress of Vienna was next up. As you may know, I’m a big fan of this 2025 release. Again, it didn’t disappoint though I had a bruising time. We played the Clash of Armies scenario, which is much more battle heavy than the earlier scenarios. My Napoleon lost a crucial battle in Saxony during the second turn, opening the path for the Russians and Prussians to take Hanover. It was downhill from then on. In retrospect, I should have made a couple of tactical retreats to limit my losses. Ah well, it was good to get another session under the belt. One of these days, I’ll manage to play the full campaign.
Mike’s enthusiasm for camping is a bit a running gag but he has persuaded the hall to allow gamers to camp onsite. And, they do. For Summer Gathering, I counted over half-a-dozen tents, campervans and camping pods.
On Saturday, I joined a five-player tilt of Kingmaker II. This was just my second play of the re-worked classic. It’s a fun game though totally chaotic, as I experienced. I’d manoeuvred both my nobles to Exeter for a calling of Parliament only to get hammered by plague in the next turn. We got the rules wrong: I should have retained my least powerful noble. But, lesson learned.
Kingmaker was a taster for Fire in the Lake, the epic COIN Vietnam game. We played a shorter scenario rather than the campaign game. Even so, we weren’t able to finish that either. Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable game with a lot of chatter around the table. The US and ARVN worked very closely together, and the US were in a good position as we ended. Their work together stymied my efforts as the VC. I was forced to play my pivotal event in a suboptimal position,I didn’t see a path to victory as things stood. Still, another epic battle.
A couple of years ago, the future af Unthirl was in doubt as Thirlmere hall was slated to close due to lack of volunteers to run it. Although the hall has been saved, Mike has subsequently moved the event to a bigger venue in Dalston near Carlisle. Whilst it’s a better facility, it lacks some of the charm of the original site.
As such, Mike has now arranged a couple of extra summer events back in Thirlmere. This makes it an attractive option for combining gaming and walking. Of course, being the Lakes, you’re subject to the vagaries of local weather. And, the elements didn’t disappoint as we had some epic mist and rain throughout my week up there. I still managed a good walk up Stake Pass, and some gentler strolls along the Langdale and Mickleden.
On the final day, I played a re-arranged game of Churchill from the same series as Congress of Vienna. I’ve been less impressed in my previous plays but I think that’s due to playing the tournament scenario which starts in the middle of the full campaign. We started with turn one but only got about halfway. We were well on the way to defeating the Axis, and – playing as Churchill – I wasn’t too far behind Roosevelt.
All in all, I had a good weekend despite a couple of disastrous performances. Unfurl is a great opportunity to meet up with old friends and to make new connections. Mike’s done an excellent job creating and nurturing the community. I look forward to the next event in October, and back to Thirlmere next June.