Turn One, August 4-6
On the first turn, the German’s get a special cavalry phase, where each cavalry unit may activate. First Cavalry moved to engage the Belgian Cavalry unit in Massely. Combat in Brave Little Belgium is handled by rolling a single die for each unit. If the result is equal or greater to the die symbol on the unit, then they scored a hit. Each hit results in a step loss for the opponent. Because there are no replacements or reinforcements in this game, every step loss has permanent consequences. The Germans were luckier than the Belgians this time, and they inflicted a loss on the Belgians, eliminating the Belgian Cavalry, without taking any losses themselves.
Second Cavalry moved to Verviers, engaging the Garde Civique there. The Garde Civique unit turned out to be a six, the weakest type of Garde Civique. Second Cavalry engaged, but the skirmish was ineffective, and they cavalry was forced to retreat to the Second Army’s main force. Third Cavalry engaged the Garde Civique in Bastogne (a 5), and eliminated it. Fourth Cavalry moved to Neufchateau, taking up a blocking position.
The first chit drawn was Big Bertha, giving the Germans an event. Big Bertha may be used during a battle involving a fort to inflict one automatic hit on the fort.
The second chit activated the Belgian Army, who were able to take the first march. The Fourth Division in Namur and the Sixth Division in Tienen move to Liege, bringing the total stack there up to four divisions and one four strength fort, the stacking limit. The First and Second Divisions moved from Louvain to Wareme, in position to reinforce Liege or retreat to Namur, depending on the outcome of the turn.
The third and fourth Chit were Zepplins (+1 DRM for the Germans in a single combat) and Sabotage (Entente may use to reduce German movement points by 1). The fifth and sixth Chits were Turn End chits. If one more of those is drawn the turn will end, potentially before the Germans can take any action.
The next Chit was activation for the First Army. The Entente used the sabotage event, which prevented the main force of the First Army from moving at all. Specifically, it reduced infantry movement to 1 movement point, and the First Army can only advance along difficult terrain, which costs 2 movement points. The First Cavalry moved to engage the Garde Civique in Tienen (a 6), but the combat was inconclusive, and no losses were suffered.
The eighth chit was the Entente Forced March event, which allows an Entente army to add one to their movement points when activated. This was no use to the Entente this turn, as the Belgians had already moved, and the French and British were not ready yet. The ninth Chit was the final Turn End chit, which left the German Second and Third army sans activation.
The Germans elected to push the armies ahead, knowing that there may be some atrocities as a result. First, the Germans activated the Second Army, rolling a 6 on the atrocity die roll, and advancing the atrocity marker to 2. Second Army advanced into Verviers, engaging the Garde Civique there. The Second Army hit, and the Garde Civique missed. Because Second Army took no losses, and was at least five times bigger than its opponent, it was able to advance into Liege.
The first Battle of Liege saw the Germans deploy Zepplins and Big Bertha to assault the fortress. Germany had 3 units attacking at 4 (rolling 5, 1, 1; 1 hit), 4 units attacking at 5 (rolling 6, 4, 3, 1; 2 hits, thanks to the +1 drm from Zepplins) and 1 unit attacking at 6 (rolling 1). The Germans inflicted 3 hits, plus one automatic hit on the Fortress. The defenders had 3 units and 4 steps of the fort defending at 5 (rolling 6, 4, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1; 1 hit) and one unit defending at 6 (rolling a 3). The Defenders took step losses to the Third, Fourth, and Sixth divisions (all reducing from 5 to 6) and took one hit on the fort from Bertha. Germans took a single step loss on the X Corps Reserves (XR, reducing from a 5 to a 6). The Germans won the battle, and settled in for a siege of Liege.
The Germans also activated the Third Army, who likewise committed an atrocity (rolling a 4 and advancing the atrocity marker to 2). The Third Army moved to La Roche-en-Ardennes, and the Third Cavalry moved from Bastogne to Marche.
Turn Two, August 7-9
Turn two began with the Entente drawing their forced march counter. Next, the German First Army activated, moving the main force to Tongeren, while the Cavalry advanced to challenge the Garde Civique in Tienen, but the battle ended without casualties.
The next three chits were the Big Bertha event and two turn end chits. Once again, the turn may end before the majority of the armies on the map get to activate.
The sixth chit activated the Belgian Army. The reduced Third and Fourth Infantry divisions in Liege retreated to Namur, and the First and Second Infantry divisions moved into Liege to support the Fort. The Fort took a shot at the Germans, who did not spend the Big Bertha chit at this time, and thus cannot shoot back. It rolled three dice at 5 to hit, and landed one hit on the Germans, reducing the Guards Reserve Corp (GDR) from 6 to 5.
The next chit was the German Forced March chit, followed by the Second Army. The Second Army launched a second attack on Liege, using Big Bertha for an automatic hit on the fort. The German attackers had 3 units at 4 (rolling 5, 2, 2; 1 hit), 2 units at 5 (rolling 3, 2), and 3 units at 6 (3, 3, 2). The Belgians fired with 3 fort steps and 2 units at 5 (5, 4, 4, 4, 2; 1 hit) and 2 units at 6 (4, 2). The Belgians inflicted one step loss, reducing the VII Reserve Corp from 5 to 6. The Germans inflicted one step loss plus one automatic for loss, reducing the Second Infantry Division from 5 to 6, and the Fort to 2 strength.
The ninth chit was turn end, leaving the French Fifth Army and German Third Army chits in the cup. Germany elected to activate the Third Army, rolling a 5, and therefore committing a third atrocity. The Third Army used the forced march event to move from La Roche-en-Ardennes to Marche to Namur, laying siege to the fortress.
The Germans had 3 units at 4 (rolling 6, 1, 1; 1 hit), 2 units at 5 (6, 3; 1 hit), and 1 unit at 6 (6; 1 hit). The Belgian defenders had the fort, rolling 4 dice at 5 (rolling 6, 5, 5, 2; 3 hits) and 3 units at 6 (rolling 6, 6, 2; 2 hits). The staunch Belgian defenses dealt five hits to the Germans, resulting in a retreat and step losses to the XI, XIII, and XIX Corps (all 4 -> 5), the XIII Reserve Corp (5 -> 6) and eliminated the 47th Mixed Landwehr Brigade (LB). The Belgians suffered three losses, eliminating the Third and Fourth Infantry divisions and the 18 BG.
The Belgians struck a major blow against the Germans at Namur, but their forces are starting to wear thin. They will need the French to activate and save them. The Germans, meanwhile, will need the Fourth Army to come and support the Third Army in the siege of Namur. The siege of Liege, on the otherhand, is going well for the Germans, and they will likely be able to use the First Army to push towards the victory line.
C. F. Kane's Solitaire Games 
A very brave little Belgium indeed! …and, of course, the German die rolls imply that the Kaiser’s army is not as fearsome as generally purported 😉
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