1999 for RTT

[Ring87]

I going to a 3 game Warmonger tournament in July at the Complete Strategist in New York City. I have played Wood Elves for the last 4 years and have done well with them. However, I going to bring my newish VC army to get some practice for an up coming GT. I have about 10 games practice so far. I know VC are a top army but I really don't know how to play them yet. I try not to use crazy combo items as all the tournaments are comped.

In my 2k list I don't use the Book, Helm or Regen Banner. I also try to stay at about 8-9 Dice(bounds included).

The problem is at 1999pts you don't get a lord and only have 3 characters. So here is a list I thought would be ok.


Vampire, Dark Acolyte, Avatar of Death(Ha+GW), Flayed Hauberk, Black Periapt, Talisman of Lycni (General)

Vampire, Battle Standard Bearer, Dark Acolyte, Avatar of Death(HW+shield), Enchanted Shield, Book of Arkhan

Vampire, Hellsteed, Dark Acolyte, Avatar of Death(HW+shield), Wristbands of Black Gold, Balefire Spike

Core:
25 Skeleton Warriors, Full Command, Hellfire Banner

20 Skeleton Warriors, Full Command

10 Crypt Ghouls

5 Dire Wolves

5 Dire Wolves

Special:
20 Grave Guard, Full Command, War Banner

4 Fell Bats

6 Black Knights, Full Command, Royal Standard of Strigos

Rare:
Varghulf

1994pts

So I used the book as it fits with the enchanted shield for a 2+ Armor save on the Bsb. Both the Staff of Damnation and the Rod of Flaming Death don’t allow for any other items. I believe the blocks need character support to be any good.

Tomb Blade on the Bsb?
What do you think.

My whole army is converted to be the undead version of my Wood Elves. The Lost Glade.

 

[Ergo-Sum]

Hi, I would say I would make a few changes.

On your first vampire, I'd make him a fairly standard foot based BSB vampire -Flayed Hauberk, Lycini, sword of battle, infinite hatred and walking death. You can then use him to support your blocks, or in a similar way to an Alter Kindred wood elf hero. Although this does reduce your magic levels by 1 and not allow you to insta kill charriots, I still think it's a better all round combat design.

The second vamp I'd make your general, but make him more magic focused by swaping his avatar of death for lord of the dead.

I quite like your third vampire, interestingly different and still quite useful.

At this point level, and with the amount of magic you are using, especially if one of your vampires takes lord of the dead, you can run your skeleton units much smaller. I'd make one a 10 + champion bunker. While the other can have a about 18 to 20 and the warbanner.

The wolves are good. I'd up the bats to 5 so you can get auto kills on fleeing troops. I don't think you need the extra command, outside of the standard, on the black knights, so that can save you a few points as well.

On the grave guard, I'd look to run them 18 (6x3) with the banner of borrows and great weapons. Again. if points are tight you can start to remove command models as they are not really protecting all that much.

All of those cuts should give you enough points to get either another small unit of black knights or a corpse cart, depending on how you want to focus you army. If you are happy to keep the grave guard weapon set up as is, then I'd goo for the knights. If you go for the great weapons, then the carts ASF can really help, as can it's up grade.

Anyway, thats just what I would do

 

[Ring87]

Thanks. For crossfire I think you need unit strength 5 and fellbats are 2 wounds each for US8.
On making one Vamp a support casty guy. MY 1st thought was to go Dark Acolyte/Lord of the Dead/ Helm/Periapt and bunker him up behind the GG in some Ghouls.

However, that only leaves 1 fighty vamp for the Blocks and they really can't win by them selves even with spamming invoc and the helm. Plus it's boring. So I tried to go with a mix. Both of them are lvl2 with a 2+ Armor save and Str 7. Thats also why the blocks are larger. In the first few turns I want to be casting Gaze and Curses. I honestly don't count on the magic for allot.


The models limit me as well. I converted the army before the book came out so my Grave Guard have hand weapon and shield. I would love another unit of BK though.

I think being a Wood Elves player I'll be trying to set up good combats one at a time instead of the straight ahead flow of undeath i use to fight as WEs. I think supporting multiple combats is hard for undead.

Thanks again for the reply. I'm going to try and squeeze some more BK in.

 

[Ergo-Sum]

I'm afraid fell bats are US1, as they are skimmishers. So you need 5 to get the crossfire effect. It's why people generally run them as either 3 or 5 bat units.

As to your vampires, you'll still have two fight vampires. One in your fighting block of skeletons, and one on your helstead, who's there to help out where needed. I generally feel that vampire heros, even with flayed hauberk, are way too soft to be in the frontline if they are your general. T4 and 2W is jut not strong enough, even more so if there are lance attacks from knights or killing blow around.

Your 7 powerdice should be good enough to get a fair few skeletons up and running to bluk up your main unit. You'll be unlikely to come across more than 4 dispell dice, which should mean very few fighty heros in such an army. Doing one dice casts with lord of the dead is about as reliabale as you can get with magic. True, it can all mess up, but it's less likely to do so than trying to get off our direct damage spells, which are not really that great. If you place the above described BSB in with a warbanner skeletons, and you boost them up to outnumber the unit their fighting, you are looking at a CR of +8 before attacks. Thats going to break alot of units. This is without the vampire being pretty much able to solo small units of knights and support troops. While S7 is good, it hurts in second rounds if you don't break the enemy or there are not alot of charriots around.

I find it hard to set up good combats sub 2000 points, as you can only get one certain Van Hels, via the book. Generally, I've found it better to stack one flank, while letting the other slowly crumble away. Hopefully your strong flank breaks though before the other side crumbles away.

But that's just how I play. If your list works for you, then it's all too the good

 

[Ring87]

Your totally right about the fellbats. I don't use them for crossfire anyway thats what zombies are for. Fellbats screen the hellsteed vamp and hunt war machines. It's funny but my orginal set up was.

Vamp, Dark Acolyte, Lord of the Dead, Helm of Commandment, Black Periapt (General)

Vamp, Bsb. Walking death, Inf-hatred, Flayed Hauberk, Sword of battle, Talismen of Lycni

Vamp, Hellsteed, Dark Acolyte, Avatar (shield), Wristbands, Balefire Spike
(I was thinking of switching Dark Acolyte for If-Hatred on this guy)

Thanks again.

 

[Ergo-Sum]

I have to say, I much prefer that set of hero set-ups.

If you're using the bats for warmachine hunting etc, then I'd save the points and just get 3 of them. This would then allow you to getsome better magic banners for your skeletons, especially if you dropped a few from your larger unit.