2011 US Masters Player Profiles: Eric Riha In series of articles, we will be profiling the players who took part in the 2011 US Masters held in Philadelphia. See all result from the 2011 US Masters here...

Player Profile Name: Eric Riha. Hometown: Chicago, IL. Current city and state: Sacramento, CA. College or University: California State University - Sacramento. Favorite Movie: Spaceballs Favorite Historical Period: World War Two. Army Lists: Eric's Soviet Gvardeyskiy Tankovy Batalon...

US Rankings HQ Statistics (as of 1/12/11)

Rank ID Number Points Movement Tournaments 3. 100110 348.0000 0 13

Tournament Results For the Last 12 Months

Tournament Name Location Number of Players Nation Placing Points Earnt Flames Of War Masters United States 22 Soviet 9 52.18 NorCal Circuit October Tournament United States 16 German 1 76.00 NorCal Circuit September Tournament United States 24 Soviet 1 84.00 NorCal Circuit August Tournament United States 20 Soviet 2 76.00 NorCal Circuit July Tournament United States 16   4 61.75 NorCal Circuit June Tournament United States  20 German 1 80.00 NorCal Circuit May Tournament United States 30 German 3 84.00 KingdomCon United States 17   1 77.00 NorCal Circuit April Tournament United States 18 German 4 65.00 Adepticon Mid War Nationals United States 46 German 1 100.00 NorCal Circuit March Tournament United States 16 Soviet 1 76.00 NorCal Circuit February Tournament United States 20   1 80.00 SD Soldaten II United States 22 United Kingdom 9 52.18

Player Interview

Battlefront: What is your favorite Flames Of War army to play? Eric Riha: Armoured – Any Nationality.

BF: Why?  ER: I can paint tanks faster and better than I can paint infantry.

BF: What is your favorite Flames Of War time period? ER: Early-war/Mid-war – North African Campaign.

BF: Why?  ER: The swirling, back-and-forth battles in North Africa are a blast to read about and contain some of the most intriguing ‘characters’ in the war.

BF: What is your favorite World War II battle or operation? ER: Operation Crusader.

BF: Why? ER: It was the first British victory over German ground forces in World War II and set the tone for the tit-for-tat battles that were soon to follow.

Below: Eric's Soviet Tankovy Batalon at the US Masters.

BF: What is your favorite part of the hobby? (Painting, playing, historical research, collecting, assembling, etc.) ER: Playing, by far!

BF: Why do you attend tournaments? ER: To play more games! A Flames of War tournament is a great excuse to spend all day hanging out with your buddies and getting in some great games.

BF: Your tournament mantra? ER: Who has the bottle opener?.

BF: What is your favorite type of tournament? (Points, theme, time period, style, etc.) ER: Anything Late War. The sheer variety of lists available in Late War makes it the most interesting to me.

BF: What are some of the most competitive armies to play? ER: Since winning tournaments is all about keeping platoons on the table, I’d say Fearless armies are generally the most competitive.

BF: What is your favorite platoon type? ER: Despite not including them in a majority of my lists, I love a good artillery platoon.

BF: What are your general tactics that you use almost every game? ER: Prevent the enemy from doing what he wants to do, if only because he wants to do it. My goal is to never give my opponent a ‘good’ choice; they should always have to choose between two ‘bad’ tactical options.

BF: What army are you bringing to the Masters? ER: Soviet Tankovy.

BF: Why? ER: It’s the list I have the most experience with and am the most comfortable playing. Unfortunately, it looks like it will be a very popular list to bring to the event.

BF: What mission are you dreading the most? ER: Fighting Withdrawal.

BF: What mission do you excel at the most? ER: Breakthrough.

BF: What points level do you like and dislike based on your army selection? ER: I like the 1000 to 1650 point levels, but dislike the 1850 and 2000 point levels.

BF: Why? ER: Soviet Tankovy scales well from low to mid point totals, so I like the 1000 to 1650 point lists. Things start to get a little too bulky at 1850/2000 points and the availability of anti-Tankovy units increase, making things more difficult.

BF: Is there a particular points and mission combo that you are really looking forward to seeing? ER: I don’t think so. I’m most looking forward to the random nature of the event. You can’t just prepare for 3 or 4 missions – you’ve got to be ready for anything and everything.

BF: How do you think you will perform? ER: I think I’ll finish somewhere in the top 20.