Lanzerath Ridge is a solitaire wargame that takes place on the first day of the Battle of the Bulge December 16, 1944 during World War II. In the game, the player takes control of a small group of American soldiers who must defend against the attacks of German paratroopers and fusiliers. The goal is simple but very difficult as the player has to attempt to do as well or better than the historic defenders by holding the attackers from taking the town of Lanzerath, Belgium to delay the advance of an entire SS Panzer Division. With limited actions each round, the player has to utilize their limited resources to attack the advancing German forces while also trying to accomplish objectives such as denying the Germans their equipment and strategically withdrawing to live to fight another day. The game lasts four rounds and each round has its own Assault Deck from which enemy counters are drawn along with nasty surprises such as mortars and MG42’s.

I have written an in-depth series of Action Point posts that cover various aspects of the game and you can read those at the following links:

Action Point 1 – look at the game board focusing on the Defender Combat Positions and Assault Tracks for the enemy Assault Counters.

Action Point 2 – Defender Counters and their Special Attributes and Action Designators.

Action Point 3 – makeup of the Enemy Attack Deck and discuss how the cards drive the assault and work against the player.

Action Point 4 – the interesting new Vehicle Counters and their uses.

Action Point 5 – Examples of player actions including Attack, Adjust Fire, Close Combat, Assist, Command and Recover.

Action Point 6 – strategy points and suggestions for a better outcome.

-Grant