2011 US Masters Player Profiles: Joe Moore 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: Joe Moore. Hometown: Woodbridge, VA. Current city and state: Woodbridge, VA. College or University: Virginia Tech Political Science undergrad; Missouri State University Defense and Strategic Studies for Masters work. Favorite Movie: There are too many to go to just one – Rock n’ Rolla, Master & Commander, Kingdom of Heaven, The Caine Mutiny, Snatch, Tombstone, Band of Brothers, Henry V, and The Boondock Saints for starters. Favorite Historical Period: Again, too many to cite one: Ancients in 15mm and 28mm, ACW, Colonial, WWI 28mm, WWII in both 15mm and 28mm, and Modern Skirmish.

Army Lists Joe's 1000 point Panzer Lehr... Joe's 1250 point Panzer Lehr... Joe's 1450 point Panzer Lehr... Joe's 1650 point Panzer Lehr... Joe's 1850 point Panzer Lehr... Joe's 2000 point Panzer Lehr...

US Rankings HQ Statistics (as of 8/12/11)

Rank ID Number Points Movement Tournaments 18. 100052 311.0681 0 7

Tournament Results For the Last 12 Months

Tournament Name Location Number of Players Nation Placing Points Earnt Flames Of War Masters United States 22 German 20 11.18 Cohorts II Late War Qualifier United States 24 German 10 52.50 Guns of August I95 Infantry United States 22 Soviet 2 78.27 Early War Nationals @ Historicon United States 55 United Kingdom 4 94.55 I95 Spring Game Vault United States 18 United States 15 17.33 Cold Wars Team Tourney United States 48 German 7 57.75 Leningrad Tournament  United States 24 Soviet 2 80.50

Player Interview

Battlefront: What is your favorite Flames Of War army to play? Joe Moore: I’m detecting a theme to these questions…I dearly love playing my Late-war British infantry primarily; but also US Armored, Panzer/Panzergrenadiers Germans, and all flavors of Russians.  Oh and I used to love my Early-war British Armoured Regiment until it got OVER-modified this month… I’m not sure how in July its fine and a month later it gets point modifications and special rules modifications.  That’s a lot of change in the meta-game in 30 days…

BF: Why?  JM: I have a blast with every one of those armies.  I was looking back at what I played in tournaments over the past year and there doesn’t seem to be a theme.  I take that as a positive thing.  I like keeping current with all of them.  I really enjoyed playing my Strelkovy battalion at Guns of August this past year and running T-26’s to some level of success in a MW army.

Below: Joe's Panzer Lehr Panzergrenadierkompanie at the US Masters.

BF: What is your favorite Flames Of War time period? JM: Late-war Western Europe is my favorite.

BF: Why?  JM: There are some way cool choices.  I keep looking at the Polish Armoured Division lists and want to give them a try soon.  Their recon regiment looks like a lot of fun.

BF: What is your favorite World War II battle or operation? JM: Here we go again…Gazala, Cobra, the Bulge, Post-Kursk 1943 Russia, Arracourt, Kasserine Pass and others.

BF: Why? JM: Mobile, mechanized warfare is where it’s at.  I spent a good bit of my adult life as a US Army tanker.  Speed, protection and firepower linked together makes for a lot of mayhem.

BF: What is your favorite part of the hobby? (Painting, playing, historical research, collecting, assembling, etc.) JM: I am blessed in that I get to play about 6-8 hours a week and I also get to paint about 10-16 hours a week.  I enjoy getting vehicles to look just right and to getting them out on the table.  Playing is fun; painting is satisfying; our gaming group is the best.

BF: Why do you attend tournaments? JM: I (we- I’d be wrong not to mention how much I-95 Gamers do for the hobby in this regard) run almost as many as I get to play in over the course of a year.  Tournaments are a great way to hang out with my close circle of gamer/friends like John Desch, Eric Lauterbach, Bill Dorais, Bob Everson, Bob Evans, Bob Rossi, Sean Mackintosh, Mark Greenwald and Bob Merrick among others.  Get any combination of those guys together; add a little beer and you’ve got fun. Add competition and it gets even better.  We spent a full eight months trying to find the right list for EW Nationals this year and had a blast in the process.  Watching Bill try to find the antidote for The Regiment was a hoot.

BF: Your tournament mantra? JM: Jeez, these dice suck...

BF: What is your favorite type of tournament? (Points, theme, time period, style, etc.) JM: The Task Force 3-player per side event we ran just this past year at HMGS Cold Wars has to be the best one we’ve run AND got to play in – even if it caused all manner of discord on RHQ. I personally enjoy pushing the envelope and trying new things when it comes to playing in and running tournaments.  I enjoy running an event as much as playing in them.  I-95 Gamers have a good reputation for the events we put on, and that’s a great satisfaction.  Getting an event on for 48 folks is a good bit of work up front, but really satisfying when you see that many good players all engaged in tough scenarios on great terrain.

BF: What are some of the most competitive armies to play? JM: Panzer Lehr Panzergrenadiers is probably the toughest in Late-war.  In Early-war it used to be British Armoured Regiment.

BF: What is your favorite platoon type? JM: No question – good tanks.

BF: What are you general tactics that you use almost every game? JM: Move and shoot. Keep moving. Assault. Play or be played with.

BF: What army are you bringing to the Masters? JM: At this point, it looks like it’s going to be a Panzer Lehr Panzergrenadierkompanie.

BF: Why? JM: They hit like a freight train.  The amount of anti-tank firepower is sufficient to keep tanks thinking about assaulting – three Panzerschrecks in a platoon AND a Panzerfaust will do that.  They get a great mix of supporting arms. Grilles are a personal favorite.  Among our local group, we have a sort of gentleman’s agreement regarding Goliath’s and Borgwards.  I’m going to have to suspend those ideas for the Invitational.  A platoon of StuGs with the Borgwards hits hard.  I keep looking at the pioneer platoon as a means of adding a Goliath and some Stuka zu Fuss, but I’m not sure that the points will pay off.  Tigers, Panthers, Pumas – all the fun animals.

BF: What mission are you dreading the most?  JM: None are dreadful.  The Hasty Defense/Attack scenario isn’t my favorite just because I don’t fully get it.

BF: What mission do you excel at the most? JM: None.  I can pull out a 1-6 in any of them on any given day.

BF: What points level do you like and dislike based on your army selection? JM: I’m still adapting to the points for this style event.  It seems to favor a more plug-and-play type army like the Russians.  For Lehr it means I’m thinking through what the point breaks mean in terms of most opponents and trying to get the most out of the available force pool for the cost.  I feel like I’m hitting paralysis by analysis already.

BF: Why? JM: The breaks probably suit some armies better than others.  It seems to me that Russian Tank Hordes can apply points more efficiently than other armies, but that’s more an assumption rather than a valid, well-based observation.  At the higher end of the spectrum, I’m not sure there’s a good differentiation between 1850 points and 2000 points.

BF: How do you think you will perform? JM:  I think I will end up in the upper third with good luck, the bottom 50% with average luck and last place with my luck. Heheh.  Let the slaughter commence.

BF: Is there a particular points and mission combo that you are really looking forward to seeing? JM: 2000 points / Cauldron.

BF: How do you think you will perform? JM:  I will finish all six rounds; no promises or expectations.  If I am Mr. Eighteen at the end of the event, I’ll be as happy as if I were Mr. Number One.  They sell beer in Pennsylvania, don’t they?  If so, then all is right with the world.