Author Archives: jimr

About jimr

As a semi-retired professor, I have time to indulge myself with hobbies. Solo wargaming with 54mm figures using One Hour Wargame (OHW) rules and an expanded card deck is my style of play. https://rohrerj.blogspot.com/

Matchbox Humvees

Posted on October 24, 2020 by jimr

By Jim Rohrer Matchbox cars are about the right size for some tabletop wargaming. The ubiquitous Humvee was sold by Matchbox in several paint schemes. Thinking of their potential for patrol scenarios or mechanized assaults, I recently bought some of … Continue reading →

Posted in Periods - Modern | Leave a comment

Avalon Hill board games

Posted on September 19, 2020 by jimr

By Jim Rohrer Paul Le Long reviewed “Bull Run: First Major Battle of the American Civil War,” published by Avalon Hill in 1983 and designed by Richard Hamblen.  His review gave me hope that other Avalon Hill board games might … Continue reading →

Posted in Board games | 6 Comments

Its not about …

Posted on September 12, 2020 by jimr

By Jim Rohrer Having been involved with Lone Warrior long enough to see two issues of the journal come out, and having read most of the material on the website, and having fought a lot of solo battles using a … Continue reading →

Posted in Solo wargaming | Leave a comment

The chess board as the ultimate portable wargame

Posted on August 15, 2020 by jimr

By Jim Rohrer Wargaming on a chessboard combines the advantages of playing on a small space, portability, and using a grid.  Some special rules are needed to avoid confusion.  For example, no diagonal movements are allowed.  One-Hour Wargames rules lend … Continue reading →

Posted in Periods - Medieval, Wargaming | 5 Comments

Old Science Fiction

Posted on July 18, 2020 by jimr

By Jim Rohrer I have been reading a science fiction trilogy by Pournelle and Greene (“Lord of Janissaries”). It is priced at $8.99 on Kindle and contains 896 pages (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B013RCXRNY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_d_asin_title_o00?ie=UTF8&psc=1). Jerry Pournelle (1933-2017) has always been a favorite of mine … Continue reading →

Posted in Periods - Dark Ages, Periods - Science fiction | Comments Off on Old Science Fiction

Embracing steampunk

Posted on June 23, 2020 by jimr

By Jim Rohrer Some readers might assume, based on the title of this post, that I am completely out to lunch. Steampunk? What possible relevance could weird stuff like that have for solo wargaming? Answer: Warhammer. We all know how … Continue reading →

Posted in Periods - Nineteenth century, Periods - Pulp era, Periods - Science fiction | Comments Off on Embracing steampunk

Printing custom event card decks

Posted on June 4, 2020 by jimr

((Admin. note: Here’s a reprint from Jim Rohrer’s blog [see the post immediately below this one], in which he discusses how to make cards for your own event decks. Thanks, Jim!)) By Jim Rohrer Chance event card decks are useful … Continue reading →

Posted in Current projects, Solo wargaming | Comments Off on Printing custom event card decks

Best era to be a soldier

Posted on May 27, 2020 by jimr

By Jim Rohrer This issue might be relevant to the decision about which era you to prefer to wargame. We all can agree that war is a nasty business and should be avoided at all costs. But wars do happen … Continue reading →

Posted in Wargaming | 7 Comments

Game duration in ‘One-Hour Wargames’ for solo play

Posted on May 19, 2020 by jimr

By Jim Rohrer One-Hour Wargames (OHW) is my preferred rule set (Thomas, 2014).  I like it because the rules are simple, it is intended for play on a small table, games are short, and it is so flexible.  Units of … Continue reading →

Posted in Solo wargaming | 5 Comments

FAQ #1

Posted on April 26, 2020 by jimr

By Jim Rohrer Most people are not sufficiently interested in solo wargaming to ask about it, but when they do, Frequently Asked Question #1 might be something like this: Why do you enjoy it? How is it fun? To answer … Continue reading →

Posted in Solo wargaming | Comments Off on FAQ #1