Three-day wargaming event Catton Village Hall outside of York took place on 11-13 September 2026.
2026 marks the 960th anniversary of the Battle of Stamford Bridge. Battle Flat, the site of the battle, is just outside of Low Catton.
After half-a-dozen one day-day events in the York (UK) area, we met for our first three day event. The venue was Low Catton, near Stamford Bridge. We were a stone’s throw from the possible battle field and near the banks of the River Derwent. Catton Hall is your standard British village hall that hosts pilates, French lessons and afternoon tea.
In total, there were 19 gamers from as far afield as Shropshire, Cumbria and, er, five miles away. We played a wide variety of traditional hex-and-counter games, multi-player CDGs and novel Napoleonics titles.
Lunch was provided by the local pub, The Gold Cup.
Games played
Holland ’44: Operation Market-Garden
One of the Mark Simonitch “40x ZOC bond” series, this title was on the table all weekend though with a break on Saturday. A convention favourite in our parts. I think it was nearing a conclusion with the Allies struggling up Hell’s Highway.
Looks like the Allies held out well in Arnhem.
Les Premiers Au Rhin (WWIIB-series)
Not listed on BGG, this is a playtest version from Three Crown Games in Sweden. Jim and Paul, who both develop for 3CG were giving Paul’s game a rigorous test.
From the 3CG website:
Les Premiers au Rhin’TM is the title of the relevant chapter from de Lattre’s book, The History of the French First Army. The French advance to the Rhine (19 November 1944) and the final capture of Mulhouse and Belfort six days later were successes of which de Lattre was rightly proud although this was tempered by disappointment that Colmar (briefly an objective) proved to be beyond their reach. Four French infantry divisions and two armoured divisions were amassed against the depleted German forces in the lower Vosges and Belfort gap. The next fortnight saw intense fighting before the deteriorating weather and depleted supplies closed the offensive down.
From what Jim and Paul told me, 3CG publishes hex-and-counter games you can play in one session. It’s a chit pull activation, and a fairly light set of rules. If you’ve played other hex-and-counter games then you should be able to pick up it up relatively easily. Worth a look.
Virgin Queen
This sprawling CDG need little introduction. Picking up where Here I Stand ends but adding the complexity of diplomatic marriages and patronage of the arts and sciences.
There were a few VQ (ahem) virgins, so they weren’t able to finish but I believe everyone enjoyed the effort. Luckily we had a back room to cope with the game’s table requirements.
The British Way: Counterinsurgency at the End of Empire
I was playing this on Friday as Scott and I squeezed in four games.
We played the Palestine scenario – it was Scott’s first play of the multi-pack. I picked up the expansion, and I’m looking forward to getting that to the table at Unfurl Your Banners in early October. It’s a toss-up but this and Andean Abyss are my favourite COIN games. I just love the historicity of The British Way, and love that it led me into reading more about the subject.
Triomphe à Marengo
This was the second game that Scott and I played. I know Scott is a big fan of Rachel Simmons games. He told me that he prefers diceless, games of maneuver which this certainly is. Me: I’m not a big fan of block games or Napoleonics but was happy to give this a try.
I got trounced.
I love the map.
General Orders: Sengoku Jidai
Scott beat me at this little, worker placement filler game. Very generic. Very light. Very enjoyable.
The Bell of Treason: 1938 Munich Crisis in Czechoslovakia
The final game Scott and I played on Friday. I screwed up the rules so we had to reset.
The Bell of Treason is based on the Fort Sumter/Red Flag Over Paris system. It’s placing cubes, removing cubes, spreading influence. It was tight and enjoyable up until the Final Decision round which we both found a bit of a let down. I’d play it again as a lighter evening convention game but it left us slightly dissatisfied.
Battle Commander: Volume I
Some more Napoleonic battles on Saturday and Sunday. A couple of scenarios and, I believe, Nick and Ian are planning another session at a future Eboracon.
Great production from Sound of Drums. Rulebook…
Twilight Struggle: Red Sea – Conflict in the Horn of Africa
Pick up game on Saturday. Twilight Struggle distilled. Not sure how this went but glad I bought it along for others to play.
Purgatorio: Men of Iron Volume VI
Purgatorio kicked off a couple of days of Men of Iron. I’ve not played these scenarios, as I’ve focused on the 1066 battles.
Polar Storm
I misidentified this first time around. It was, of course, Polar Storm, another game from 3CG.
I have heard good things about these games – relatively low counter density, less heavy rules, chit-pull, shorter playing time. I’d like it if there were more WWI titles but might have a look at the WWII games.
France ’40: 2nd Edition
France ’40 is another favourite at Eboracon. David and Andrew played the Dynamo scenario and, correct me if I’m wrong, Andrew managed a successful evacuation.
Imperial Elegy: The Road to the Great War 1850-1920
After Virgin Queen, Imperial Elegy was the other big game at Battle Flat. I’d scheduled it for two days to allow for newbies and a leisurely pace but we finished with Scott’s Russian autowin in turn five. All told, about 9 hours with a couple of short breaks.
I was Austria and managed to sneak under the radar for most of the game.
Scott was brazen with war against the Ottomans in turns one, three and five (as per standard strategy) but also coming to the aid of Denmark as Prussia waged a second war in turn one. That ended badly for Bismarck, and set the tone for the game.
Russia took territory in the Caucuses in turn one but it was the turn five war which was the coup de grace. He achieved a victory against the Ottomans, and as a truce condition snaffled an OT colonial key in Africa.
Next impulse he had a successful pacification in the east for the autowin.
Napoleon’s Triumph: The Battle of Austerlitz, 2 December 1805
Sunday morning saw another Simmons’ game. This time, Scott was teaching Ben.
These games really do have a lovely table presence.
Andean Abyss
Four of us were left to pick up the pieces on the final day after Imperial Elegy ended early. So, we went back to the COIN. (So, I played my two favourite COIN games at one event. Result!)
We made it through two campaigns before Marc achieved a narrow victory with the AUC.
Triumph & Tragedy: European Balance of Power 1936-1945
A lot of noise coming from the corner. Probably a lot of tragedy and triumph. There is something about three player games though, as many know, I bounced off T&T a couple of years back. I hadn’t appreciated the sandbox nature of the game.
I understand there was an early war and it was a bit brutal.
Norman Conquests: Men of Iron Volume V
More Men of Iron and, thankfully, the Battle of Stamford Bridge hit the table. It would be rude not to as we were only a mile or so from the battleground. I believe the Vikings were successfully routed, as it should be.
Anyone making it down to the British Museum to see the Bayeux tapestry?