Bookings open in January 2027.

Three-day wargaming event in a village hall outside of York. Aiming for 20 gamers but hopefully more. Friendly community of regulars but newbies always welcome.

We have the hall for all three days from 9am to late. Two rooms and a kitchen.

There’s a pub in the village and lots of eating options in Stamford Bridge, just a few minutes away. We’ll probably order in pizza on the Saturday.

Plenty of AirBnB options and a few campsites in the vicinity.

Provisional dates for 2027:

• Saturday 9 January, 2027
• Saturday 13 March, 2027
• Saturday 10 April, 2027
• Saturday 27 November, 2027

All the above at St Lawrence Church Community Centre.

Battle Flat 2027

• Friday 17 – Sunday 19 September 2027 at Catton Hall – confirmed!

Entry fee

Please note that for all events between now and the end of 2027, the fee is fixed at £15 per day. This includes tea, coffee and snacks.

There will be a light lunch for each day of Battle Flat 2027, included in the fee.

An opportunity to meet fellow boardgamers to play historical boardgames, conflict simulations and other strategy games.

Eboracon IX is confirmed:

• Saturday 28 November 2026
• 10am to 6pm
• St Lawrence Church Community Hall, Lawrence St, York YO10 3WP, UK

Entry fee £15 on the day. Cash preferred.

An opportunity to meet fellow boardgamers to play historical boardgames, conflict simulations and other strategy games.

Eboracon VIII is confirmed:

• Saturday 24 October 2026
• 10am to 6pm
• St Lawrence Church Community Hall, Lawrence St, York YO10 3WP, UK

Entry fee £15 on the day. Cash preferred.

You can’t be a revolutionary if you don’t eat chilies.

Mao Zedong

Venue

Location: YO10 3WP

The room has:

• 17.1 x 7.6 metre main room
• eight regular size tables, fits one standard size map plus gubbins
• a small, fully equipped kitchen with microwave, fridge, oven and hob
• toilets
• outside space

There’s probably enough space for 30 or so gamers.

Accessibility

Please let me know if you have any special needs. The venue has:

• level access at the front of the building
• disabled toilet
• disabled parking space close to the entrance

“Any plan conceived in moderation must fail when the circumstances are set in extremes.”
― Klemens von Metternich

Getting there

Public transport

Use public transport, if you can.

York is well served by trains (when they run).

By car

The hall is on Lawrence Street (A1079) very near the junction with the inner ring road. If you’re coming from the A64, follow the signs to the city centre. As you near the city centre, you will pass a Shell and BP petrol stations on your right. The hall is just passed the next set of traffic lights, fronting the street.

The road entrance is to the left of the hall.

Follow the path beyond the hall to the church car park. You do not need to register to park.

Please don’t use the gravel area unless the church car park is full.

Food and drink

I recommend that you can bring your own food and drink to the venue. There’s a Waitrose, Morrisons and plenty of other food options nearby.

The kitchen is well stocked with crockery and cutlery. I will provide coffee, tea and biscuits.

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?

SCGCon is sort of PunchedCon’s little brother. Second Chance Games (SCG) are co-organisers of latter, and last year they ran the first SCGCon in Liverpool. I’d heard good reports, so I crossed the Pennines for this year’s iteration.

The event took place from 14-16 November 2025 in the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Speke, near to John Lennon Liverpool Airport. Well, actually, the hotel used to be the airport terminal back in the day when this was Speke airport. It’s a fine building in the Art Deco style that’s been tasteful updated.

The main gaming room is spacious and has good lighting. There were ample tables of varying sizes for all sorts of games. There were about 70-80 people in the room at the busiest times. We snaffled a big round table on Saturday for all the paraphernalia that goes with Virgin Queen. I also saw Inflection Point and Battle for Normandy that took up several tables each. And, a small scenario of Red Strike hogged a couple of tables. I think the table legs were groaning under the weight of the counters.

In addition to the gaming room, there was a bar area next to it. I think the bar was open in the evenings but as I wasn’t drinking I’m not sure. Anyway, the main attraction in this bar area was a display of minis from the Liverpool Wargaming Association. Some of their members were also playing board games during the con.

My train delivered me to Liverpool Lime Street, which in retrospect was the wrong place to go. I should have got a train to the parkway station nearer the hotel but, as I’ve never been to Liverpool before, I thought I ought at least have a quick look around. Er, it was unnecessary and it meant I had a very long bus journey through some gritty inner-suburbs. I decided not to take the detour to the William Huskisson – he of Congress of Vienna and train accidents – memorial.

So, I pitched up in the main bar on Thursday and managed to hook up with a few friends for a Dune game. I think it was Dune: A Game of Conquest and Diplomacy. Anyway, I’m not usually one for IP tie-ins but this was a nice tense time filler with area influence and card play. More conquest; less diplomacy. Good start.

Friday, we convened for a bash at Successors. This was my third time playing this game revolving around the wars following the death of Alexander the Great. It’s a classic card driven game with point-to-point movement, some gnarly minis (painted by Dave) and elephants! What’s not to like. You need a simple and sound strategy, a steady nerve to choose the right moment to go to battle, or, like me, you can sit back and let the funeral cart come to you. My opponents seemed keen on knocking spots off each other while I held on to the key area of Makedonia. Mike made a beeline to bury Alexander in Pella, right in my backyard. We had a winner-take-all battle, and I filched the funeral cart and won to take a rare legitimacy victory. Sheer fluke but beautiful chaos.

With time to spare in the evening, Mike threw B’Twixt, a Game of Thrones card game, on the table. I’ve played this once before at Mike’s house and enjoyed it immensely. It’s got a higher-lower scoring system which means you’re always trying to balance ally cards you’ve won between your two neighbours. It’s sort of like a trick taking/bidding game though you have to manage your hand carefully so sometimes you just opt out of the bid process. Another perfect time filler.

As per PunchedCon, SCG ran a raffle and there was a (smaller) bring and buy table. I had to resist an unpunched copy of The US Civil War. And, of course, there was the SCG shop which seemed to be doing good business.

Thankfully, I didn’t win anything in the raffle as I was short of space. But I did pick up Grand Havoc from the Blind Swords series. I’ve been reluctant to play US Civil War games until now but I’ve not got two in the Blind Swords series, plus online access to Rebel Fury.

On to Saturday for the big Virgin Queen game. There was plenty of Here I Stand experience around the table but not much of VQ. It was suggested that we try the tournament scenario in order to finish within 12 hours, or just finish. In the end, we played the full game. Three hours later, we finished turn one. In the end, we called it after four turns and twelve hours. I spent most of the game not fully understanding the rules applicable to my faction, the Protestants. If I had, I think I could have threatened a win.

I can’t add much of a review of the hotel, other than the public spaces, as I stayed elsewhere to save a few pennies. Next year, though, I do intend to stay on site. The main bar was nice and you could order food there. I didn’t sample the main restaurant as I’d bought stuff from the M&S Food across the road, part of the large retail park with a couple of chain restaurants.

On Sunday, I finally got to play a face-to-face Stamford Bridge game, as Daniel joined me in Norman Conquests: Men of Iron Volume V. The Norwegians took one hell of a beating as my lines disintegrated. But, I did fight back and inflicted some heavy blows on the Saxons. It’s jolly good fun, even if the archers are ridiculously overpowered.

Finally, the remnants of the convention gathered for a truncated game of Ponzi Scheme, thanks to Dangerous Dave. Although I thought it had the feel of an 18xx game, it was a straight up bidding and trading game. I’m rubbish at these kind of games as I always want to hoard cash to stave of a rainy day. Anyway, Dave had to rush to catch a train before we could finish.

I’d had a few reservations about going to Liverpool but I thoroughly enjoyed the weekend, despite terrible weather and the schlep across the Pennines. As with other events, I got to meet new people and potential opponents. I played some great games and won Successors. Result!

Thanks to Second Change Games and all my opponents for a fun weekend.

Next year, I will try to give Wm Huskisson Esq a visit.

We met at St Aelred’s Community Hall in Tang Hall, York on a day of April showers.

With a couple of late cancellations, there were twelve in attendance though everyone had a game or two for the whole day. Shout outs to event newbies: Jim and Stefano, both of whom travelled from the midlands, wherever that is. Jim, of course, is a PunchedCon, Unthirl/Unfurl and Vanguard regular.

It was a nice bright, spacious hall though I’m not sure why the heating in the gents’ was turned up to eleven. On the table, some old favourites, a bit of two-player COIN, and – well I’ve listed everything below.

Next up: three days of Battle Flat at Catton in September. Sign up now!

The new year started in a new (for us) venue, St Lawrence Church Hall, very near Walmgate Bar in York city centre.

Thirteen souls braved whatever elements and illnesses the English climate can throw at a person. They came from near and afar, including Northants, East Sussex and Kent. A1 be damned!

On the table? Some Pax, hex, COIN and Nappy. In the kitchen? No hot water but tea, coffee and chat.

More of this at St Aelred’s on Tang Hall on 11 April, then three days of Battle Flat at Catton in September. Beyond those, it’s probably St Lawrence as a semi-permanent home.

Pax Pamir: Second Edition

Becoming a favourite at out little event, but I’ve yet to play it. Thanks to Jim for teaching newbies.

China’s War 1937-1941

The latest COIN effort, designed by Brian Train who authored Colonial Twilight and co-authored A Distant Plain.

A different spin on some familiar mechanics. This is not a typical insurgency and the conflict is on a much larger scale. In the style of Fire in the Lake, the Japanese can outmuscle the other factions but have to watch that “Commitment” doesn’t evaporate. The Nationalists and Warlords have a messy symboitic relationships, while the Commies just do their Commie thing (especially if it’s free!).

We tried the shorter 1938 scenario with sudden Propaganda. Gordon took victory as the Warlords. The Japanese, under Nicholas’s watchful command, looked like running away with it but got pegged back at the last. David, a COIN newbie, handled the Nationalists well. My Commies got bogged down by the Japanese hogging the Lines of Communication.

Across The Narva: The Soviet Assault on Estonia, February 1944

Some traditional hex-and-counter in the form of this excellent looking Revolution title.

Richard and Mark battled it out. I don’t know the outcome but tweezers and plexi were involved, so it was serious stuff.

4. The Guns of Gettysburg

This is a super looking game on the table, beautiful map and lovely components.

Scott and Michael played this in the morning. Again, I don’t know the outcome but I’m intrigued by this style of tactical game.

Napoleon’s Triumph

Speaking of block games, here’s another one from Bowen Simmons that Michael and Scott played in the afternoon.

Again, it’s stunning on the table. Interested to hear some comments…

The British Way: Counterinsurgency at the End of Empire

A total COIN day for Nicholas and me, as we raced through the Kenya scenario in this two-player mini-game.

This is probably my favourite in the series, not just from a gaming point-of-view. It’s got me very interested in the history, and I’m glad to hear that Nicholas is going to the Imperial War Museum exhibition that covers this topic.

I got hosed as the British. Couldn’t shift the Mau-Mau out of Nairobi until first Propaganda, which meant clearing the reserve provinces was delayed. (I’ve got Palestine planned for Unfurl in a few weeks.)

Commands & Colors: Ancients

More familiar tactical warfare and a con favourite, Gordon taught David this classic.

I don’t believe elephants were involved, which is a disappointment.

• Eboracon IV
• Saturday 13 September
• 10am to 8pm
• Stamford Bridge Village Hall, 4 Low Catton Road, Stamford Bridge, York, YO41 1DY
• Suggested contribution £10, cash or PayPal on the day

There’s an onsite car park, nearby village shops and Stamford Bridge is on a bus route with a twice-hourly service. Check out the website for all the details.

As always, please try to arrange games beforehand.

BGG Guild
Discord

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I’m committed to run Eboracon into 2026.

Apart from three or four one-day meetups, I will be running a three-day convention on 11-13 September 2026! I’ve negotiated a favourable rate at Catton Village Hall, near York, which we used for Eboracon III.

I’ll open signups in the new year but please let me know if you are interested as it will give me an idea of setting the suggested contribution. I’ll probably ask for £20 for the weekend or £12 for the day.

In the meantime, see you in September!

Happy gaming.

Pete

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.