# Starting a Vampire Counts army



## sickening (Jun 21, 2009)

I feel a little bad posting asking about a VC army after asking so much about WoC but here goes. Over the 4th of July weekend my brother surprised me was a VC battalion set. So what i was wanting to know if what do i need to add to this to make it into a playable 1000 point force? Thanks so much for all the help!
Dustin.
http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?catId=cat1020072&prodId=prod1050186


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## Inquisitor Varrius (Jul 3, 2008)

First off you need a general, and a necromancer. The general should be a vampire (Von Carstein!) but could be any type you want(Von Carstein!). If you want melee, go with Blood Knight. Magic? Get a lahamia. Strigoi are feral crazy-killy vampires in close combat. And VON CARSTEINs are just plain awesome, as well-rounded as they are. You won't be able to take lords for a 1000 point game, but take a vampire hero and a necromancer. The general keeps your army from disintegrating, he's the most important model in a VC army. Keep him centered with the battle standard (if you have one) and make sure he stays alive. The necromancer summons new units, heals the old ones, and is a source of serious butt-whooping. You've already got troops, I'd buy a few square bases. Put extra reaching hands or walking feet from the zombie sprue onto the bases and call them more zombies. Everybody does it. This way, you still have other units to be summoned, but they don't cost as much. I'd also grab some wolves, and maybe a spirit host or grave guard. And then there's varghulfs...

I realize that's more than 1000 points, but absolutely get the bases, a vampire, and a necromancer.


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## sickening (Jun 21, 2009)

"but absolutely get the bases, a vampire, and a necromancer."

hey man thanks!! that sounds like a very good start and i will be looking into that very soon!


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## Inquisitor Varrius (Jul 3, 2008)

If you want advice based on how you plan to play, or what models look good, or whatever, check out the GW website articles. Because VC is so new, a lot of their tactics and such have been gone over in great detail. Best of luck, now go out and raise the dead!


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## sickening (Jun 21, 2009)

ok thanks again man i will check out. i am still going to start with what you said and just see where i can go from there.


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## Reign (Jun 30, 2008)

Uhhh.... the vampires kinda lost their families in the new book. There's not really a Von Carstein, Lahmian, Strigoi, etc... they are more or less just vampires (unless you field the named characters who are all Von Carstein).

Next... The Necrachs were the magic geared Vampires last edition, not Lahmians, Lahmians relied more on speed than anything else.. (always strike first mostly).

As for the original poster.. You shouldn't ever really field zombies from your point allotment. I would get a Vampire, another unit of Skeletons (or ghouls), and a Vhargulf to flesh out your army... 

Zombies are too easily raised to worry about putting points into them, use them as created march blockers, created flankers, and other nifty little things! Field the skeletons, and use the corpsecart as a necromancer mount. The little guy that comes in the corpsecart is a necromancer anyway.

That gives you, after you buy the skeletons, vampire, and vhargulf....

Vampire (General)
Necromancer (on cart)

Skeleton Unit
Skeleton Unit
Ghoul Unit

Vhargulf


Kit your vampire out with Master of the Black Arts, Scepter De Noirot, and whatever you want and start creating Zombies from Turn 1! 

Hope that helps.


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## Inquisitor Varrius (Jul 3, 2008)

Oops, I haven't tried the new VC. Thanks for fixing my advice!


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## sickening (Jun 21, 2009)

Reign said:


> Uhhh.... the vampires kinda lost their families in the new book. There's not really a Von Carstein, Lahmian, Strigoi, etc... they are more or less just vampires (unless you field the named characters who are all Von Carstein).
> 
> Next... The Necrachs were the magic geared Vampires last edition, not Lahmians, Lahmians relied more on speed than anything else.. (always strike first mostly).
> 
> ...


hey wow thanks for the help! i just have a few questions tho. so now you are saying that i just put together my corpse cart and name the drive as a necromancer with out having to change him out? lastly what vampire do i need to chose? do i just chose a vampire lord or do i need to pick a named vampire for my army?


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## Creon (Mar 5, 2009)

Yes, you can just call the driver of your Corpse Cart a Necromancer, done!

Get 2 vampires, a Lord and a Thrall. 3 characters are a good start.

Buy a box of skeletons. They are going to be needed for Raise dead.

Get Cavalry of some sort. Black Knights are my preference (cavalry that ignores terrain modifiers), but Blood knights are good too. I suggest 5 Black knights with your Thrall BSB. 

But likely that puts you closer to 1500 than 1000.


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## m3rr3k (Oct 14, 2008)

Creon said:


> Yes, you can just call the driver of your Corpse Cart a Necromancer, done!
> 
> Get 2 vampires, a Lord and a Thrall. 3 characters are a good start.
> 
> ...


can't use a lord until 2000 points...

If you take a vampire thrall with dark acolyte & lord of the dead you'll have a 150pt (+ equipment) general who can raise up more skeletons than you started with... throw in the necromancer on the corpse cart with raise dead & van hals dance macabre (skull staff / book of arkhan) & you have a zombie maker / catapult...

this will leave you with about 600 points to buy core, etc... for that you can grab a varghulf / black knights / grave guard (personally, I like graveguard... works with my style... my knights just eat magic & die 1/2way across the field)and still have enough points for (2) 20 man units of skeletons with full command

of course, Wight Kings are just deadly - take a Wight King BSB c/w sword of kings & gem of blood & you have a 125pt killing blow (5+!) hero with 4 wounds (from the gem) who is T5!


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## Creon (Mar 5, 2009)

Should have said a General and a Thrall (both thrall level, of course). I like Grave Guard, but at lower levels, they soak up a relative lot of points. And they can't be magiced up.


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## m3rr3k (Oct 14, 2008)

grave guard can be brought back easier than black knights since you can only bring one knight back per IoN - just can't bring them back beyond their starting size


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## sickening (Jun 21, 2009)

thanks again for all the good info! what do you mean by vampire thrall?


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## Spot The Grot (Jul 15, 2008)

sickening said:


> thanks again for all the good info! what do you mean by vampire thrall?


Back in the previous vampires book a vampire thrall was the name of the Heroes choice vampire.It is still the easiest way to refer to a vampire taken as a hero choice.

The way to be a good vampire player is to just go full magic. Its what keeps all of the troops ticking. Don't bother with any bloodline or magic items that effect his CC potential. Just buy the items and bloodline powers that help his magic out.

The tactic i would go for is the bunker vampire. Pick a vamprie as a general. Kit him out very heavily for magic and raising models back. Put him in a unit of 15-20 ghouls. Ghouls are the hadest troop choice to kill at range as they are T4. This unit with the vampire inside will never enter combat.Its purpose is to provide a "bunker" for your vampire to pump magic out of. Give the vampire helm of commandment. There is a magic item thats called the "book of arkhan" or something. It give him vanhels dense macabre as a bound spell.

Give your skeletons spears! They will get lots of attacks then. Combine a unit with the hem of commandment (from the vampire) and vanhels dense macabre (cast by any wizard who knows it or with the "book of arkhan"). As long as the unit was in CC at the start of the turn the skeletons will get 10 attacks at WS6 (or 7 if the vampire is a lord) and will then get rerolls to hit that always strike first.

The army has to work together to win.

I would buy 2 vampires. More skeletons , aim for 2 units of 15 with spears , always buy more skeletons though as you will want to raise more in game! 2 Boxes of ghouls so that your vampire can hide in them. A vargulf. Finaly , get some dark knights , some poeple use the empire knights and combine them skeleton sprue as it makes the model completely plastic which means its less likely the break , light and cheaper.


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## sickening (Jun 21, 2009)

ok after reading all the posts this is what i came up with.
keep in mind i only have the VC battalion set and will get getting 1 more box of skeletons, a vampire, and a Varghulf to start with. 

Vampire + master of the black arts-helm of Commandment-scepter de noirot 205
Necromancer + Corpse Cart + lodestone 155
Varghulf 175

Skeleton Warriors X 15 155
spears 
champion
musician
standerd

Skeleton Warriors X 15 155
spears 
champion
musician
standerd

Crypt Ghouls x 10 80

75
105 left over

now the book of arkhan said its a power level 3 spell so i take it that my level 1 vamp will not be able to use it? how should i equip my necro or should just drops some points and use the rest to make my ghouls ghasts?


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