SIEGE! VC vs Demons 2500pts

[ATP485]

This is a Blood in the Badlands campaign battle. The game lasts 5 turns. Attackers place 2 objectives, defenders place 1.

Here we are the attackers and Demons (led by Keeper of Secrets) are defending. I have access to Orks and Goblins via a special tile I own, 50% and 75% extra to my rare and special respectively and 20 points for a free banner. The demon player has a total of 3125 points to use which must be split into castle defenders and a relief force that enters from a random table edge from turn 2 onwards on a roll of 2d6+(turn number)=>10.

Lords

Vampire Lord [3+ armour/4+ ward] LoV
Level 4 Wizard, Red Fury, Quickblood, Beguile, Ogre Blade, Enchanted Shield , Talisman of Preservation, Heavy Armour
516pts

Heroes

Necromancer LoV
Level 2 Wizard, Master of the Dead
Dispel Scroll
145pts

Core

37 Skeletons
+Standard
195ts

40 Skeletons
+ Standard
210pts

40 Skeletons
+ Champion/Standard + Lichebone Pennant (Free banner)
220pts

Special

3 Vargheists
xxpts

3 Vargheists
xxpts

3 Crypt Horrors
xxpts

28 Grave Guard
+ Champion/Standard + Banner of the Barrows
406pts

Rare

Goblin Rock Lobber
xxpts

5 Blood Knights
Standard Bearer, Flag of the Blood Keep, Lances
335pts

Total = 2502

I have 2500pts for siege equipment. I’m thinking of sacrificing half points to force the demon relief force to enter on turn 4 (A victory condition for the defenders is to have a relief unit enter through the castle gate). This will let me concentrate on fighting for control of castle segments and objectives without fear of a sizeable army entering near me.

With this in mind, I plan to use the remaining 1250pts to provide a siege tower for the grave guard, and battering clubs for the crypt horrors. I will focus my entire force on one side of the castle. I will roll up the siege tower with the grave guard + lord first, and try and breech some segments with the horrors. The necro will shepard the 3 units of skeletons from the lichebone unit, and the blood knights will enter the first breech. The Vargheists, I assume, will fly in and lend attacks. I took the rock lobber to a) have a shooting phase b) target blocks of troops/lords/heroes. I'm not sure how it works in a siege game really against units on walls.

This is my first siege battle and my first time playing vs demons. All pointers are appreciated!

 

[Bravo_10]

Well, I've never played a siege game before, but I do have a few generic pointers about your list:

1) Your Specials need to be in larger unit sizes. The Grave Guard are perfect, numbering right about where I take mine under the new rules, but only 3 Vargheists per squad? That's only 9 wounds, and your opponent could wipe them out with a couple spells. I would recommend switching to one unit of each Crypt Horrors and Vargheists, but beefing up the numbers of each squad. Maybe 4 V-gheists and 5 Horrors? Keep in mind that you still get 3 attacks per model with Step-Up from Monstrous Infantry, so Crypt Horrors aren't hurt at all by having a few ranks of guys.

2) Add some Zombies. Skeletons are...meh. Zombos are cheap and effective. Plus, they can be raised to epic proportions by Invocation of Nehek (2D6 + caster level in models? That's ridiculous!). They'll provide a nice tar-pitting force that you can throw against the hardest part of your opponent's line while your Grave Guard and Blood Knights chop through the rest of his army like butter.

That's all I really have for you. Everything else seems quite solid, especially your lord build. It's exactly the same setup I plan on running my VL with.

 

[ATP485]

I've tweeked it slightly. Dropped a magic level and upgraded the lord to a giant blade and potion of toughness. I reckon as long as he can regain a wound here and there from casting, he could do well vs. Keeper of Secrets in a challange.

Lords

Vampire Lord [3+ armour/4+ ward]
Level 3 Wizard, Red Fury, Quickblood, Beguile, Giant Blade, Enchanted Shield , Talisman of Preservation, Heavy Armour, Potion of Toughness
521pts

Heroes

Necromancer
Level 2 Wizard, Master of the Dead
Dispel Scroll
145pts

Core

50 Zombies
+Standard
160ts

46 Skeletons
+ Standard
240pts

45 Skeletons
+ Standard + Lichebone Pennant (Free banner)
235pts

Special

4 Vargheists
xxpts

5 Crypt Horrors
xxpts

28 Grave Guard + Great Weapons
+ Champion/Standard + Banner of the Barrows
406pts

Rare

Goblin Rock Lobber
xxpts

5 Blood Knights
Standard Bearer, Flag of the Blood Keep, Lances
335pts

Total = 2501

 

[Grish]

All Demons have a 5+ Ward save minimum. You may want to take The Other Trickster's shard, which would help not only your vampire lord, but those models around him that strike at Demons close to him.

The Keeper of Secrets in a regular game cannot hide very well. I am not sure how Siege will handle it, but concentrated Bolt Thrower fire can scare it away if not outright kill it. Each Bolt Thrower is 17.5 Skaven Slaves, so you could easily fit 4 into your list. This may help with board control. Also, Demons have a number of multiwound models (Flesh Hounds, Fiends of Slaanesh) that they could be used against. I would rather take them than the more accurate Doom Diver.

There's a good chance the Keeper will take a weapon that will allow it to recover wounds, so it can just get locked in combat and grind units down.

What are your options for Siege equipment? I'm not familiuar with the scenario.

Bad matchups for you would be Daemonnettes vs. Zombies/skeletons (reroll to hit, 2A each) or Khorne infantry vs. anything really.

 

[ATP485]

Siege equipment:

Hasty Assault Half Points
Force Turn 4 entry for enemy relief force

Siege Tower 500 slaves
8" move ona 2+ connects with fortress and becomes a 'section'

Battering Ram 250 slaves
Breeches on a 5+

Battering Clubs 250 slaves
Given to MI: Breech on a 5+

Siege Ammo 50 slaves
Stone throwers breech on a 6+

Undermines 125 slaves
extra 2d6 in attacking artillary phase

Restless Dead 500 slaves
Pick a unit, make starvation rolls, 6's create wounds for a spirit host model to be placed anywhere

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Knowing i'm up against a larger force, forcing the delay in the relief force seems like the best option.

Fortress section assaults have a max 10vs10 from each unit assaulting/defending with the objective being to win the combat. I'm wondering if ghouls would be better served here as core.

 

[ATP485]

This is another proposal for this battle.

Lords + Heroes

Vampire Lord [3+ armour/4+ ward]
Level 4 Wizard, Red Fury, Aura of Dark Majesty, Beguile, Ogre Blade, Enchanted Shield , Talisman of Preservation, Heavy Armour, Potion of Toughness
531pts

Necromancer
xxpts

Core

31 Ghouls
xxpts

31 Ghouls
xxpts

Special

6 Vargheists
xxpts

27 Grave Guard + Great Weapons
+ Standard + Banner of the Barrows
384pts

Corpse Cart +Balefire
105pts

Corpse Cart +Balefire
105pts

Rare

5 Blood Knights
Standard Bearer, Flag of the Blood Keep, Lances
335pts

Doom Diver Catapult
xxpts

Total = 2501


Siege Stuff

Hasty Attack
xxpts

4 Undermines
xxpts

1 Battering Clubs
xxpts

Rationale:

1)If the ghouls get into a 10vs10, they're more likely to win combat compared with skeletons.
2)Demons have no war machines therefore no pre-battle shots, Doom Diver + 4 Undermines gives me 10d6 to roll 6's, then 4+ to breech a wall. Varghiests can fly around with battering clubs as a backup + their unit is stronger
3)Corpse carts to offer ASF which will be important in a 10vs10, and balefire to help negate demon's magic phase (-2). They also substitute for Quickblood, so aura and beguile give -4 to ld tests in challanges (If they stack, else this power can change). The fight for the castle will be so concentrated they should have a major effect. Conversely they're a being heavily relied on.

 

[ATP485]

(Edit error)

The only points standing out in this list to me are:

a)the differences between a lvl4 lord/lvl1 back-up necro or lvl3 lord/lvl2 back-up necro
b)to bunker the necro with the lord or with some ghouls. If so, then the unit size of the ghouls, 31/31 or 42/20 etc

 

[Sanai]

You have access to 0&G in a siege... and aren't taking any spiders? They have some useful special rules in regards to garrisoned buildings.