Tips for a Beginner?

[Aspiring Necromancer]

After my previous plan for starting up a Vampire Counts army was postponed...for longer than I would have liked, I'm finally ready to start.

I have a few basic odds and ends, but I'd like to build this army with more direction than my World Eaters, so with that in mind, I'm thinking that I'm going to work towards building a defined army list, at least initially. So, with this in mind, what works and what doesn't in 8th Edition? Do you guys have any tips that every beginner should know?

Also, I hear that Vampire Counts have been nerfed somewhat in 8th. I don't really care, because I like the armies I like for lore and miniatures first (I won't be switching to Tomb Kings any time soon ) but it would be nice to know how Vampire Counts have been made weaker so that I can adapt my mind-set and tactics.

Thanks guys!

 

[Count Lasombra]

IMHO VC are still a highly competitive army.The removal of fear outbreak moved VC from OTT to strong but fair.

 

[Lynks]

Yes, the old fear rules used to make every army just run from VC presence. the new ones are kinda lame.
I would probably pick either skeletons or ghouls to theme your army around as a start. from this you can choose characters/ support units with a bit of direction in mind

 

[Skarsnik the Lord]

Hi!

First of all, welcome back to the army!

The 8th edition has changed our gaming style a bit. Nowadays the idea of VC is to go and kill opponents in close combat, instead in 7th edition the army waited and the opponent charged us.

In 8th edition big horde units are quite important, as everyone have them and if you don't, you can't win the enemy hordes. Magic is important too, Lvl 4 caster Vampire Lord with Master of the Black Arts, Summon Ghouls and Skull Staff can handle the magic phase pretty well.

So, the good things in 8th edition are Ghouls in horde (one or two units of them, sometimes three), Grave Guards in horde, Wraiths, caster Lord, and the Drakenhoff Banner (as it used to be in 7th edition). The idea is to run towards the enemy and crush it before the undead army is shot into pieces. The caster Vampire Lord hangs back and summons Ghouls back with Summon Undead Horde (with +6 modifiers to cast).

Hope that helped a bit.

- Cheers, Skarsnik.

 

[Dklyn]

We are still a fine army choice and I have kept a great win record even in 8th. Having said that, the fear is pretty weak these days.

Our core is now overpriced which is the biggest weakness I find. Zombies are made for raising, not for taking: don't spend points on zombies but using raise dead well can work well.
Skeletons are decent core choice for holding units and surviving (usually keep with hand weapons and shields for the parry save instead of spears since their attacks are weak)
Ghouls are more offensive and can work well too.

Grave guard are in almost every list and are equipped with great weapons. Str 6 is fantastic and striking last is no longer a big deal. Using helm of command is almost standard issue as it makes up for our weak WS on units. A popular strat is grave guard with great weapons, banner of burrows and helm of command to give you 2+ to hit anything WS6 or lower and 2+ to wound on anything T4 or lower and -3 armor save and KB. Owie! Some people equip a standard bearer with drakenhoff to give regen as well, personally I think it's a bit much. This is pretty much a common hammer unit these days. There are other hammer options, but this is pretty beginner friendly and as you get more comfortable with the army you can find other options.

Caster lord is very popular, forbidden lore if you want to use a BRB lore or Master of the black arts + dark acolyte if you like lore of vamps (like me ). Crown of the damned is pretty much a must on your general since if he dies you're in trouble. Ldr 10 is hard to fail the stupidity, plus BSB rerolls make it all but impossible.
Danse macabre is a fantastic spell. If you're using forbidden lore I highly recommend you either have a necro with it or take the book of arkham so someone in your army can cast it.

If you think bat swarms (not fel bats!) are useless, you are right.

Those are kinda the key items/units I can think of. Most everything else is fairly debatable as to how useful it is and how to use it.

Happy trails and may vampire sigmar smile upon you.

 

[Sanai]

I have some pro tips for you!

1# Allocate your attacks towards the enemy. If you attack the enemy victory is more likely to be yours.
2# Equip your troops with sharp, pointy objects, and get them to stick those pointy objects in the enemy. It will hurt them.
3# Treat everything your opponent says as a lie or a trick. Suspect everyone.

 

[Gaeth]

1# Allocate your attacks towards the enemy. If you attack the enemy victory is more likely to be yours.

So that's what I've been doing wrong all this time!

 

[Zacharias]

I find a horde of 40 ghouls (10 x 4) lead by Konrad Von Carstien, a Crypt Ghast and a BSB (hidden at the back of the unit) with the Drakenhof Standard to be an almost unstoppable force. The 4+ Regeneration means your going to get across the battle field in almost one piece and you can raise more ghouls on the way. It's also one of the only ways to give Konrad and the ghouls a much needed save. Once in combat this unit has a ridiculous number of attacks (poisoned for the ghouls) and I have seen them win entire battles for me single handidly. Off the top of the head I think it works out at 36 regular ghouls attacks (third row can attack), 3 Crypt Ghoul attacks + Konrad's 5 (frenzy + additional hand weapon) + more if Konrad gets some wounds = 44+

They've taken do Dragon Princes, Seaguard, Sword Masters and the elite dwarf squad (can't recall there name at the current time).

Another winner I've found is the Black Coach. Hold it back for 2 or 3 turns until the power if flowing and then start smashing into anything without a magical weapon. They can't strike back and you'll soon have them fleeingon combat result or wear them down.

 

[KhazModan]

I find a horde of 40 ghouls (10 x 4) lead by Konrad Von Carstien, a Crypt Ghast and a BSB (hidden at the back of the unit) with the Drakenhof Standard to be an almost unstoppable force. The 4+ Regeneration means your going to get across the battle field in almost one piece and you can raise more ghouls on the way. It's also one of the only ways to give Konrad and the ghouls a much needed save. Once in combat this unit has a ridiculous number of attacks (poisoned for the ghouls) and I have seen them win entire battles for me single handidly. Off the top of the head I think it works out at 36 regular ghouls attacks (third row can attack), 3 Crypt Ghoul attacks + Konrad's 5 (frenzy + additional hand weapon) + more if Konrad gets some wounds = 44+

They've taken do Dragon Princes, Seaguard, Sword Masters and the elite dwarf squad (can't recall there name at the current time).

Another winner I've found is the Black Coach. Hold it back for 2 or 3 turns until the power if flowing and then start smashing into anything without a magical weapon. They can't strike back and you'll soon have them fleeingon combat result or wear them down.

How do you hide your BSB in the back of the unit? Doesn't he have to be at the front?

 

[Bishop]

How do you hide your BSB in the back of the unit? Doesn't he have to be at the front?

It certainly does... unless the front rank is full of characters..

 

[Dklyn]

I find a horde of 40 ghouls (10 x 4) lead by Konrad Von Carstien, a Crypt Ghast and a BSB (hidden at the back of the unit) with the Drakenhof Standard to be an almost unstoppable force.

Another winner I've found is the Black Coach. Hold it back for 2 or 3 turns until the power if flowing and then start smashing into anything without a magical weapon. They can't strike back and you'll soon have them fleeingon combat result or wear them down.

Unstoppable until you meet flames . For a beginner, it's important to note that not only can you not use regen on flaming attacks, but you lose regen for that phase. Also while horde formation may sound like you get a lot of attacks, it's more likely to fight against a 5 wide unit so not everyone will be in base contact which will limit the number of attacks you can make. Not that using regen banner or horde is a bad idea but just some stuff to keep in mind when deciding whether to use or not.

The black coach is a lot of fun and can be pretty useful, but keep in mind that it can suck up your own PD when designing your list.

 

[shadowmage]

A The black coach can be great or can be horrible depending on the magic phases. I have seen it flying in two rounds but it really depends on your gaming group. A horde of Grave Guard is a good choice and I agree that the drakenhoff isnt necessary. I prefer ghouls over skeletons but you wont go wrong with either. Fel Bats are still nice. Black Knights not so much. Dire Wolves are great for landing on top of Mangler Squigs.

 

[Questioner]

1# Allocate your attacks towards the enemy. If you attack the enemy victory is more likely to be yours.

So that's what I've been doing wrong all this time!

Your army attacks itself????

 

[Daw]

Dire Wolves are great for landing on top of Mangler Squigs.

Hi every Vampires. This is my first post on vc.net so hello for everyone
Dire wolves is great for manglers but cairn wraights it's better
Also i think the Grave Guards horde is not enought good with regen and gw. Many players have answer for regen like HE, WE, DE, DoCh, WoCh also Dwarfs. I think the GG unit with regen and hw+sh it's better. Then vanhels or Lore of Light spells can be very nice boost for VC units. 2 units with WS 7 and 10 and also have 3 way for ASF spells. Book of Arkhan is very good. Many times when Vanhels win the battles wil cast with IF from Book of Arkhan. Then you will not roll on miscast table cause that was boud spell.
Thats my previous ideas for VC's.

 

[Gaeth]

1# Allocate your attacks towards the enemy. If you attack the enemy victory is more likely to be yours.

So that's what I've been doing wrong all this time!

Your army attacks itself????

The skeletons and ghouls just can't get along, I tell you.

 

[Questioner]

Poor wee things...

the answer is

MORE GRAVE GUARD! AND VAMPIRES! AND EVERYTHING+ SQUIGS!!!

 

[KillerShrew]

Hey guys,

Since I'm really new to WFB, I have many many questions. I'll start with just few basic ones. Here it goes:

1) How do you field your regiments? If I have 20 skellies should I field them as 4x5 or 2x10.
2) What about 30 ghouls? 3x10 seems to be the best option?
3) How do you protect your general fe. against flying Dark Elf "Chuck Norris" (Lord with pegasi, reverse ward, stubborn etc.). I was planning to put my casting vampire lord in 20 skellies unit, but it seems like DE lord can just fly to your general and kill him in an instant.
4) How do you choose your spell casts? what is the most useful spell (except for VDM)?

I'll stop at those four for now

Cheers!
KS

 

[Bishop]

1-2. These are mostly personal preference.

1. Most ppl tend to use skeletons "defensively", to hold objective, to carry banners, etc. As a result these are normally fielded with as many ranks as possible.

2. Ghouls on the other hand could be used in wider units, Horde tends to be much more common for them.

3. The "caster lord" is in a bunker right? If so, there shouldn't be an issue. If you keep another unit nearby you should be able to protect them by blocking the unit and preventing the charge to start with. Having another character in the unit to challenge the lone flyer also works well.

4. This is a pretty broad question...

 

[KillerShrew]

3. The "caster lord" is in a bunker right? If so, there shouldn't be an issue.

What do you mean by 'bunker'?
The thing is 4lvl VL with MotBA, HoC etc. is pretty expensive. My Wight King would be BSB in GG unit. I have very little points left for any other character that could challange lone flyer. But prolly I'm missing something

 

[Count Lasombra]

Most of the advice is probably beyond where your at right now.Just keep practicing,use smaller armies,1000 points is good to learn with.
Repitition will help alot,play often.After a while you will come to alot of conclusions based on personal experience.These will be the ideas that will carry you.Most people on forums can tell you what build is most likely to win....if you just set the army on the table and push it forward.
IMHO most games are won due to basic tactics,understanding of relative strengths,
and the ANGLE you position your units.
Read any articles you can on basic tactics..Baiting,delaying,redirection,interdiction and countercharging.These things are pretty constant.

 

[Aspiring Necromancer]

Thanks for the advice guys.

I'll see what I can do about making up an army list and posting it in the appropriate forum.

At the moment I'm thinking that I'm going to go with two units of Ghouls and one Skeleton unit (as a bunker for my casting Vampire) so, in the end, I'll probably give my caster Summon Ghouls in lieu of Lord of the Dead.

I'm planning on painting my army as Sylvanian at the moment (with the red and black colour scheme), but I suppose I can get my "skeletons" in with a large-ish unit of Grave Guard. When I have a feel for how the army operates I might try to mix more Skeletons into it.

Another question though: Is Vlad any good in 8th Edition? He seems like a pretty decent choice on paper, but then again, I would hardly know what red flags to look for anyway.

 

[Bravo_10]

Planning on a Skeleton bunker, are you? Remember this: the Lichebone Pennant is your friend. If you use that nifty banner to give your guys MR1, then any characters inside it also get the magic resistance. This pairs nicely with the Wristbands of Black Gold, as the character wearing those will then have a 2+ ward save against all wounds caused by magic! Now, your casters will be pretty naked if your bunker ever finds its way into combat, but you can usually avoid this if you position your guys correctly.

edit: To answer your question about Vlad, I don't really think he's worth it. I'd much rather take Mannfred if I was going for one of the two big Carstein lords. He's cheaper, and he really is a force to be reckoned with in the magic phase. Vlad is very survivable, but he doesn't really give you much else.