Brave Little Belgium

About this board game

Brave Little Belgium is a two-player wargame for a 60-minute game about the opening of World War I on the Western Front. One player commands Germany, while the other leads the Allies: Belgium, France, and Britain.

The game covers August 4 through August 27, 1914, with each turn representing three days. Using a point-to-point map and a chit pull mechanism, it recreates the uncertainty and changing tempo of the German advance through neutral Belgium.

During each turn, players draw chits representing different generals and armies. When a military chit is pulled, that army can move and fight opposing forces. Random event chits add further possibilities, giving players opportunities to help their own side or hinder their opponent.

• Germany: Advance through Belgium as quickly as possible, destroy the major forts at Liège and Namur, and avoid committing too many atrocities.
• The Allies: Slow the German advance and stop its plan to capture France.
• Victory: Germany wins by breaking through Belgium and destroying both forts faster than these events occurred historically; otherwise, the result is a draw or an Allied victory.

Each decision is shaped by the order in which the chits appear, making timing central to every move and battle. The German player must balance speed with the need to overcome Belgium’s major fortifications, while the Allied player works to delay the advance at every opportunity.

Released in 2019, Brave Little Belgium offers a focused, quick-playing contest centered on the first weeks of the war, where movement, combat, and random events determine whether the German plan succeeds.