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Lanzerath Ridge is a solitaire wargame that takes places on the first day of the Battle of the Bulge, during the Second World War. In the game, you take control of a small group of American soldiers. Under your command, the Americans must fend off the relentless attacks from German paratroopers and fusiliers. Your goal is to recreate the incredible historic accomplishment of the American soldiers by defending the town of Lanzerath, Belgium and delaying the advance of an entire SS Panzer Division.
Lanzerath Ridge is the next design in the Valiant Defense series, following the critically acclaimed Pavlov's House (2018), Castle Itter (2019), and Soldiers in Postmen's Uniforms (2021). The Valiant Defense series allows you to play amazing stories of courage, with small forces holding the line against unimaginable odds. Games in the series focus on the individual defenders and are deeply rooted in history, while providing a quick play experience with a light complexity rule set.
Lanzerath Ridge is divided into four attack periods, each of which is represented by a deck of enemy cards. Each attack period is divided into a number of turns, and each turn consists of two phases:
The game ends immediately if the defenders’ morale drops to 0 or if a German attacker takes over an American defensive position. Otherwise, the game ends after the last attack. Your level of success is based on the Americans’ morale, intelligence gained during the defense, and any objectives you accomplish.
Lanzerath Ridge | Review
- high tension and dramatic pacing
- diverse terrain/design with multiple lanes
- beautiful art by Niels Johansson and an aesthetically improved board
- clear sense of narrative and historical context
- larger strategic space with resource manipulation (intelligence, tokens)
- still demands careful, heavy management; not as accessible to absolute beginners
- some actions pay off only later, which can feel punishing
- reliance on dice for overheating introduces luck elements
- valiant defense under pressure, strategic improvisation, narrative of resilience
- Battle of Windsor-Ethridge, first day of the Battle of the Bulge, Western Europe WWII winter frontline
- historic, campaign-driven, tense
- Pavlov's House
- Castle Itter
- Soldiers and Postman's Uniforms
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- artillery and radio calls — Minor actions add tokens to artillery or radio vehicles; major actions can remove attacker cards and raise intelligence.
- attacker deck — Germans resolve three attack cards per turn, advancing forces with four rounds of escalating difficulty.
- board lanes and grenades — The board presents multiple lanes; grenades influence assault timing and defense pressure.
- Combat: Deck/Hand — Germans resolve three attack cards per turn, advancing forces with four rounds of escalating difficulty.
- exhaustion and command — Exhausted units must be unexhausted by a commander, creating careful sequencing.
- grenades and reprieve — Grenades arrive as assaults progress, offering a temporary reprieve before pressure mounts.
- Line of sight — Long-range shots are possible with line-of-sight considerations and terrain.
- line of sight and long-range — Long-range shots are possible with line-of-sight considerations and terrain.
- major vs minor actions — Defenders perform up to five actions per turn; minor actions don’t exhaust, major actions exhaust the acting unit.
- Morale tracking — Morale decreases with disruptions and casualties; running out ends the game.
- player elimination — Morale decreases with disruptions and casualties; running out ends the game.
- weapons and overheating — Powerful weapons can overheat based on rounds fired, potentially removing the weapon from play.
- win condition framing — Win by surviving four attacker rounds; loss by German reach into defender spaces or morale collapse.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- this is a game that is very tense where things can turn very quickly
- it's the fourth value defense game
- it's a very different landscape and it feels like a new flavor
- the aesthetically pleasing board does enhance the experience
- you really are going to have to fight it out to stay alive until the end of the game
- Lanzareth Ridge does freshen up the system and adds a new flavor within the Valiant Defense series
- on the anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge this game really lives up to its promise of being tense but fun
- I think it's actually the best one yet in the series
- if you already like these games then you'll still like Lanzareth Ridge because it's got different variations on the theme