UNDEAD TACTICS
Pete Scholey has commanded countless Vampire Counts armies to victory in tournaments and clubs across the world, so who better to let us in on some of the dastardly tactics available to a budding Lord of the Night?
Pete Scholey: Ever wanted to have Zombies with Weapon Skill 7? How about a flying, Ethereal chariot? Or maybe Frenzied Strength 7 knights? Terror-causing skirmishers? How about if all of these could Always Strike First? Well, read on, because all of these treats are possible with a Vampire Counts army!
THE DEAD RISE!
he first thing that you need to know about a Vampire Counts army is that nothing is alive. Every single unit and character has the Undead special rule and that means, with the Immune to Psychology that goes with it, there are no Panic tests or other such chores that come from Psychology. Quite simply, the whole lot are very, very dead -- and that's just the start of the fun! To top it off, every single thing in the army causes either Fear or Terror! So not only will your army not run away, they will be very, very good at making your enemy's units do so!
Click here to go to the Fear Tactica article.
Secondly, under the new rules, everything in the army can be raised, repaired, and kept moving and fighting with the judicious use of the Black Arts. Vampires can be healed, and Black Knights, Spirit Hosts, Fell Bats and even Grave Guard can be repaired and brought back from the dead. This makes the way you use your army significantly different from previous Vampire Counts armies. For other armies, the loss of four out of five knights from enemy shooting would mean their end. Not so for the Undead! With the aid of Necromancy spells, which can be cast multiple times in a single Magic Phase, you can bring your warriors back from the grave to charge another day.
The third thing that you need to know about a Vampire Counts army is that it is all about the Vampires. Your most powerful characters, including the deadly Von Carstein family, are Vampires. Similarly the most powerful units available -- the monstrous Varghulf, the ferocious Blood Knights, and the terrifying Black Coach -- are all classified as Vampires. This is very valuable, as Undead units can only march move if they are within 6" of a model with the Vampire rule or 12" of the army general (who will undoubtedly be a Vampire too).
Click here to go to the Vampire Tactica article.
Make sure you exploit the biggest advantage the Vampire Counts army has over every other Warhammer army -- Psychology and the ability to create new units. With Fear-causing units, you are more than likely to break you enemies if your defeat them in combat. While this is good for any army, it is utterly game-winning when you think that the Vampire Counts can create a new unit behind the enemy in the Magic phase. These new arrivals can then wipe out broken troops as they attempt to flee.
