WARHAMMER 6TH EDITION |
TACTICA VAMPIRE COUNTS
Inscribed by The Old Sage (Tom Setzer)
- The Bloodlines
- Lords and Heroes
- Regiments
- Core Units
- Special Units
- Rare Units - Tactics
- General Tactics
As in any Undead army the Vampire Counts army is dependent on its leaders. You can be rampaging through your opponent's army one moment, watching his units fail fear and terror tests, and the next moment watching your army decomposing and dropping to the ground as piles of bone and goo, due to the loss of key leaders.
Bloodlines
The tactics and composition of your army will depend upon the Bloodline of your Vampires. Your general must choose at least one power from one of the four Bloodlines and all other Vampires in your army must be of the same Bloodline. Each Bloodline has its own distinct powers that will effect how your army should be composed and the tactics you should use with it.
Von Carstein
This Bloodline's powers are those of the traditional Vampire, with shapeshifting, transfix, and summoning wolves and bats. Call Winds can be a savior for your army when fighting armies with a lot of missile troops (but ends up hurting them as well if you have any bats!). The Carstein Ring can also increase the survivability of your general, but you must be careful when taking it, as you won't be able to take any other magic items..
Necrarch
This Bloodline produces the most powerful Necromancers of all the Bloodlines. Even their Thralls can be magic users, with the Nehekhara's Noble Blodd power. Their bloodline powers are ones that increse their abilities with spells, and raising the dead. Because of their powers and natural abilities, the Necrarchs are the best spellcasters.
Blood Dragon
The members of this Bloodline strive for martial excellence, and it is reflected in their powers. Their abilites increase their WS, and allow casting spells while wearing armour. Their bloodline powers allow a reroll of missed attacks in the first round of every combat, as well as other useful combat bonuses. These are the strongest fighters of all the Vampire Bloodlines, but also the weakest spellcasters..
Lahmia
This Bloodline depends on seduction, misdirection, and speed for victory. Their powers increase their ability to strike first, transfix an enemy, dodge their enemy's attacks, seduce enemies to change sides, and/or make themselves harder to see, shoot at, charge, or cast a spell at. This Bloodline's powers are centered on the Vampire characters, improving their abilities on the battlefield. The Lahmians' natural abilities make them the fastest of the Vampires in combat, and their -1 Ld ability will cause trouble for enemy characters and units.
Strigoi
The Strigoi cannot have any kind of equipment, either magic or mundane. They do have minor Ward saves, so they have a small form of protection. The only thing the Strigoi have going for them are their unique bloodline powers, which are very useful for increasing their survivability, aiding them in hand to hand combat, summoning more Undead, and moving around the battlefield.
LORDS AND HEROES
TAKING LORDS AND HEROES IN YOUR ARMY
The number and type of characters you take in a Vampire Counts army depends on the size of the army. With a small army, you'll only have points for a hero or two. With a moderately sized army, you'll be able to afford a hero as a general, another magic user or hero, and possibly a hero to use as a battle standard bearer. With larger armies, you can include a Vampire Count, or a Necromancer Lord. If you have the points in your army (3000 or higher), it is possible to take both a Vampire Count and a Necromancer Lord, but this takes up precious points needed for units. If you want to experiment with using a Necromancer Lord as your army general, feel free. You'll only occasionally be able to take a Vampire Lord, as he takes up both a Lord and a Hero slot.
VAMPIRES
When given a choice between a Vampire Lord or Count, my choice would be the Vampire Count. They are still very powerful but cost much less than the Vampire Lord, and they don't take up an extra Hero slot. You could have a Count and a Thrall well equipped for not much more than one well equipped Vampire Lord. Unless you are playing Necrarch, I believe it is best to rely on Necromancers for most spell casting.
Vampire Thralls are a good choice to place with a unit of Wight Cavalry and/or Grave Guard, along with their own champion. Even though they're good heroes, you shouldn't try to rely on their Ld much, as it is lower than most heroes in the game.
NECROMANCERS
Necromancers are needed for their ability to raise and summon the dead to do your bidding. You should protect your Necromancers as much as possible. Unless you take a Vampire Lord or Count, they'll have to be your general. A Ward save is a very useful item to take.
WIGHT LORD
Wight Lords are excellent Heroes for leading units and giving a Ld bonus where needed. They have a decent Ld, and are great in hand to hand, especially with their wight blades. While not being as good as a Vampire Thrall statwise, they are 20 points less.
WRAITH
Wraiths are expensive characters, but very useful if you need a character to go after skirmishing or other small units. Because of their Ethereal special rules, wraiths are very hard to hurt, and can hold up many units. They are also good for going after artillery, but watch out for opposing characters, especially those armed with magic weapons!
SPECIAL: BATTLE STANDARD BEARER
You should take a Vampire Thrall or Wight Lord to use as a battle standard bearer whenever you can, as the battle standard is very useful to your army and magic standards can go a long way toward increasing the strength of your army.
VAMPIRE COUNT REGIMENTS
SELECTING REGIMENTS FOR YOUR ARMY
In your army you'll want to include a solid core of infantry with some hard-hitting cavalry. This means you should take at least two or three units of Skeletons and/or Zombies, backed by some Grave Guard or Ghouls. This will form the core of your army. Black Knights and Direwolves will give you some fast-moving units to assault the opposing army quickly. Bats, Banshees, and Spirit Hosts are nice, as is the Black Coach, but these are specialized troops that should be given some thought before taking.
An important point with Vampire Count regiments is to include a Champion and Standard Bearer in every unit you can, and a Musician for any unit that needs it. This gives you some extra hitting power in hand to hand combat, and keeps your units sticking around. The musicians provide some much needed flexibility.
CORE UNITS
SKELETONS
Use these in large units of 20+. I often use the maximum 30 figures in these units. I never purchase armour for them, saving the points for more figures, as you can replace losses of these troops with Necromancer spells. I do give these a magic standard to help overcome their poor fighting abilities. They can win a war of attrition where the enemy is at a disadvantage.
ZOMBIES
Take as many Zombies in a unit as possible!. Their braindead rule and Initiative 0 mean they will take heavy casualties against any but the most basic of hand to hand unit. The main use for Zombies is to tie up enemy units, but they can take on other units if they are numerous enough.
GHOULS
Ghouls are a unique unit within the Vampire Counts army. With the Alive!, Skirmishers, and Poisoned Attacks special rules, they are useful either as blocking units or flanking units. You can also use them to attack the flanks of units you have charged, causing the opposing unit to take a Panic test and lose its rank bonus in hand to hand.
BAT SWARMS
These can be used to block a unit, as flankers, to attack skirmishers, or to attack the crews of war machines. They can be used to tie up large units for many turns. Since the Bat Swarms also cause fear, they will automatically break any unit they beat in hand to hand combat.
DIRE WOLVES
These are fast, with a move of 9" and a charge of 18". They get 2 Attacks when they charge (the Doom Wolf gets 3 Attacks when charging). Make sure that the Dire Wolves get to charge the enemy, don't let the enemy charge them. This helps because they get a S4 in addition to their extra attacks on the charge. Since the Dire Wolves are fast cavalry, they can maneuver almost anywhere. They are very good when used to sweep around the battlefield and assault your opponent's flanks.
SPECIAL UNITS
Since you're limited in the number of Special Units you are allowed to choose, you'll want to pick the ones best suited to your battle plan. Grave Guard form a wonderful unit to use for protecting your general. Black Knights are good for attacking opposing knights and heavy cavalry. Fell Bats are useful for taking out opposing artillery crew, and Spirit Hosts can tie up a unit for many turns.
GRAVE GUARD
These are a tough unit to stand in your line and add stability, or to use as a unit of shock infantry. I prefer to arm them with halberds and shields. I also equip the unit with a magic standard (which one depends on the role I am using them in). Use the Grave Guard to defend your general, unless he is mounted.
BLACK KNIGHTS
This unit can be used to act as shock cavalry. Give them a magic standard if you have the points. Barding is very useful for their survival. Use your Black Knights to attack other knights. They should be able to beat them, with their Wight Blades and their good Strength and Toughness. If you have a mounted general, the Black Knights will help protect him.
FELL BATS
Being flying creatures, Fell Bats are useful for attacking war machines and skirmishers. They also make a good mobile reaction force to reinforce other units.
SPIRIT HOSTS
These are very useful for tying up strong enemies. Two or three hosts in a unit can hold up an elite enemy unit for several turns. They are Ethereal and can only be affected by magic weapons, but don't use them against units with multiple rank bonuses. This should not be a problem as most elite units do not have multiple rank bonuses.
RARE UNITS
You're very limited in the number of Rare Units you can take. The army is also limited in the number of units you have to choose from (unless you look to the Dogs of War for support). Banshees are useful for getting rid of small harassment units, while the Black Coach is devastating when used against infantry or similar units.
BANSHEE
These Ethereal beings always fight alone. They have their ghostly howl which they use in the shooting phase. These are most useful for the psychological effect they have on your opponent. Many opponents will change their line of advance due to these. They can also be used t good effect against skirmishers. Banshees can also protect your flanks from enemy skirmishers or small units of light cavalry.
BLACK COACH
This unit should be used against small elite units. With its special rules it can be very powerful. Due to the Evocation of Death it can actually become more powerful as the combat continues.
Tactics
The three tactical lines that I would choose for Vampire Counts are the Horns, Center Presented, and Weighted Flank.
The Horns Formation
The Horns formation is a good formation for the armies of Necrarchs or Lahmia. This formation is the classical encircling formation. Put your hard hitting fast troops on the flanks, and anchor your center with some good steady troops. Do not give your opponent time to change his deployment, move forward immediately, and keep your lines longer than your opponent's. Make sure that you place your Vampires and Necromancers where they can do the most good. Put the Necromancer with the infantry at the center of the line to replenish your Skeletons and Zombies. Place a Vampire with Vanhel's Danse Macabre with your fast troops to aid their ability to make flanking attacks. Close with your enemy as quickly as possible, and don't give him a chance to use his missile troops and/or artillery to whittle down your army before you have a chance to close.
Opponent's Troops
Horn Formation |
*Note that you may only have one Spirit Host.
Weighted Flank Formation
This is a good formation when you have some very hard hitting troops mixed with some good steady infantry. This is a good formation for Blood Dragons or Von Carsteins. You have a powerful flank made up of Wight Cavalry and Grave Guard, a steady line of Skeletons and Zombies, and a fast flank made up of Vampire Bats and Dire Wolves. Use the Spirit Host and Swarms to tie up dangerous enemy units while you destroy other units with your Wight Cavalry and Grave Guard. Go after his missile troops and artillery with Vampire Bats and Dire Wolves. Use Bat Swarms to take out his skirmishers. Fight a war of attrition with your center.
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Center Presented
This is a formation used to break the center of your enemy's line, it is not one of my favorites. This formation works well with a Blood Dragon army, with the Vampires equipped and armed for close combat. This is a hard-hitting, all-mounted army. You might even think of taking a Vampire Count on a Nightmare to harass your opponent's artillery and magic-users. Magic will be very important to this army also though. I would take a Necromancer with summoning spells and place him behind the barded Wight Cavalry, and I would also place a Vampire with Vanhel's Danse Macabre in the same area. Even though you do not have any infantry to start, your Necromancer can summons Skeletons and Zombies. This can create strange looks on your opponent's face, looks of shock and horror when an Undead regiment just rises out of the ground.
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General Tactics, Hints, and Tricks
You'll notice I did not place any characters on the illustrations above, as this will be a matter for deployment after you have seen what your opponent brings to the table. The following guidelines, though, should keep you in good order:
- Always place Vampire Counts with your heavy units when playing a Blood Dragon army.
- When playing the other Bloodlines, it is best to have your main Lord behind units where he can use his spells to supplement them, but not be in danger himself.
- Always keep your spell-users within 2" of a unit, so they cannot be targeted individually. Your spell-users are extremely important to your army!
- The Black Coach is either devastating, or it is a total loss. I have not found it to be worth its points. I would much rather have more troops, or more spell casting ability.
- It isn't worth the points to buy armour for Skeletons. The points are best used for more important troops that you can't summon or replenish with magic.
- Always remember that Wight Cavalry can be used in both the shock role and in a fast cavalry role, depending on how you armour them.
- Always remember that Spirit Hosts are great for tying down dangerous enemy units. Swarms are also good for this job.
- Do not give your opponent time to use his missile troops to any effect! Close, and close fast!
- Take out artillery and missile troops early.
- Dominate magic! Take as many magic-users as possible. They do not all have to be high-level. Remember, even the lowliest Necromancer can dispel and hold a magic card If you play Necrarchs even your Thralls will be able to use Dispel Scrolls and hold magic cards if you give them Dark Acolyte.
- Use a Necromancer as your main magic-user.
- Wight Lords are better than Wraiths in most instances as champions for units.
- Know your army and your opponent's army! Emphasize your strengths, and your opponent's weaknesses.
- If you play an army dependent on hordes of Skeletons, Zombies and Ghouls, take lots of characters! You will need them to reinforce your units, especially with magic. You should also take at least a couple of fast units with these, like Vampire Bats. A Spirit Host can also be very useful for one of these armies.
- The Banshee is most useful for its psychological effect. Do not try to fight large units with them!
