ManorCon

Welcome to ManorCon

What is ManorCon?

ManorCon is a board games convention that has been running since 1983. It is currently held at the University of Northampton.

The convention begins each year on the third Friday in July and runs through to the Monday; for 2026 this will be 17th of July to the 20th of July. The convention opens at 2PM on the Friday and closes at 2PM on the Monday.

Most of the c. 350 attendees each year stay on site in a modern University Hall of Residence, which affords the best option to fit in as much gaming as is physically possible. The convention offers a bar and canteen facilities and ample room for gaming. There is car parking available and the site is also within easy reach of public transport and the City Centre of Northampton.

2025 Feedback

If you attended in 2025 please do fill in our feedback form so we can make 2026 even better.

ManorCon brings you

ManorCon primarily provides an Open Gaming experience along with a range of organised activities, such as:

  • Tournaments, which in 2025 were 18XX, Diplomacy, and Wingspan (inc. Wyrmspan and Finspan).
  • The traditional midnight games of Midnight Party.
  • Blood on the Clocktower
  • A secondhand games sale, or bring and buy.
  • A boardgame retailer.
  • For more information see Activities.

The Venue

ManorCon is held in Northampton University at the Waterside Campus which is just south of Northampton City Centre, within a mile of the railway station, the bus station, and the town centre itself.

Games played at ManorCon

ManorCon features a large array of different games and the occasional tournament, from the old favourites such as 18xx, Power Grid and Imperial, to more recent games like Terraforming Mars, Terra Mystica, Great Western Trail through to the latest releases from Essen. Game styles range from the heavy right through to the less serious end of the spectrum, such as Deep Sea Adventure and Perudo (always more fun after a couple of beers). There is often a game of two of Blood on the Clocktower and other ManorCon staples include the Treasure Hunt and the Music Quiz (Saturday night in the bar). There’s also a games store on site, in case you didn’t bring enough games with you or you play something that you just have to own immediately. See our BGG Geeklist for more games that have been played at ManorCon.