Taking into account that I'm going to be very very busy over the next few months I'e come to the conclusion I just don't have the time to paint the brets needed for 2k and do the asur for the d.net tale of 4 gamers, considering I want to do the asur more I've decided to use my vamps if I can make it. So without further ado here's my list:

Strigoi vampire Count: Level 2, summon ghouls, curse of the reverant, iron sinews:340

Strigoi thrall: Bat form : 125

Necromancer: Level 2, dispell scroll,black periapt: 140

Necromancer: Level 2, book of arkhan, scroll : 150

24 skelletons: Spears, shields, full command: 241 (5*5 with the count)

24 zombies: standard: 154

24 zombies: standard: 154

5 dire wolves: 50

5 dire wolves: 50

5 dire wolves: 50

8 ghouls: 64

8 ghouls: 64

5 ghouls: 40

20 graveguard: halberds, shields, heavy armour, full command, banner of the barrows: 375

3 fell bats: 60
PD: 8+2 bound spells
DD: 5 + 2 scrolls
Models: 130

Tactics:

The 2 main threats in the army are the skellies with count and the GG, the idea is to deploy with the infantry deployed in a way so they can work well as a unit and are flexible. I'll probably use a unit of ghouls to attempt to flush out scouts and the rest can shamble up a flank. The wolfies will either go up a flank or be used a charge dummies and the bats are there for war machines and mages.

Thoughts?

Strigoi vampire Count: Level 2, curse of the reverant, bat form:340

Strigoi thrall: Bat form : 125

Necromancer: Level 2, dispell scroll,black periapt, steed: 160

Necromancer: Level 2, book of arkhan, scroll, steed : 160

5 dire wolves: 50

5 dire wolves: 50

5 dire wolves: 50

7 ghouls: 56

8 ghouls: 64

5 ghouls: 40

10 Black Knights: Fc, barding and the banner of the barrows: 335

10 Black Knights: Fc, barding and the war banner: 315

3 fell bats: 60

3 fell bats: 60

Black Coach: 205

Looks like a strong infantry based list.

A few things:

1) The zombies are 154 points per unit with the standard.

2) Id replace the spears on the skeletons with light armour, as the count is there to do the kills and a 4+ AS is better for CR than 5 WS2 S3 attacks more and a mere 6+ save.

3) If the Thrall has Bat Form, why should he lead the Grave Guard?

4) Id either get 18 or 21 Grave Guard and set them up 6x3 or 7x3 to get as many attacks as possible. Or use the 20 and make them 8 models wide with the remaining 4 forming the back rank. S5 attacks that hit on 3+ with killing blow are just to nice to give up only for a rank.

it´s a nice list :) just a couple of things. firstly the same question as funky regarding the thrall with bat form. the other is, why have him lead the grave guard? grave guard is one of the few units in the army that can make it on their own, zombies on the other hand cant. I´d put him in there to do the fighting. If you intend on having those zombie units as speedbumps, then ignore that question, but surely they seem big enough for main units to me ;)

other than that, looks very good. especially like the necromancer set up :thumb:

As we all say, if you let your strigoi lead a unit dont use Bat form. I should use infinite hatred. But it looks like a Good List

@Funky
1: I'll change that .

2: I would but the majority of my skellies have spears and spears look so cool.

3: I like keeping him in there because it gives him a bit of extra protection and people get confused by it so when I move him out he normally will be able to get into a decent position but sometimes he goes straight for the war machines.

4: 5x4 does fine, anything bigger is a tad bulk for my likes.

@Tyrion:
The zombies are there to take casualties, get thrown into flanks and protect and annoy.

ok, then we get the idea behind the army :) I keep my grave guard 5X4. there is a couple of reasons for this.

1) doesnt matter how you look at VC, in the end they still need ranks and outnumbering to win combats. sure, grave guards are good, but they are still not any super soldiers, WS3 isnt that impressive ;) funkys idea would work only on small units and those arent worth the trouble IMO.

2) then why not have them 4 wide like all other VC units? well firstly, like funky said, killing blow is too good to pass upon so at least try to get as many attacks in as possible while still keeping the ranks and hopefully outnumbering. keeping them 4 wide is for me a waste of fighting capability. lets face it, grave guard are there to kill things, if I want more rank bonus, I´ll take zombies/skellies instead, that is what they are there for ;) grave guard is one of the few units in the army that can stand on their own without character support.

other than that the army looks good :clap:

I see your point about the Grave Guard, and setting them up in a 5x4 formation is definitely a good way to use them.

Its just that in Cal's list they have:

1) Halberds. With an additional point of strength, each attack gets more valueble. And not only that. Grave Guard usually dont charge but get charged themselves. When they use their halberds they only have a 5+ save, so a few of them will probably die. That means that with only 5 models in the front rank, not many, if unlucky none, can strike back. This problem is minimized by a wider frontage.

2) The Banner of the Barrows. WS3 is quite puny for elite infantry, but the banner more than compensates this, allowing them to hit even a Chaos Lord on 3+. Obviously, the easier it is to hit the opponent, the better it is to have more attacks.

I think that these two points taken together make it quite appealing to use them in a wider formation.
Of course everyone has a different opinion and should use them the way they work best for him! :)

Argh! All that for 2000pts? V. scary.

I really can't think of any recommendations, other than to double-check your points - it seems to be too big and horrible to be true.

Assuming the calculations are correct, it only remains to be seen if you can actually make it this time... ye have a bit of a reputation now for missing tournies at the last minute. Some of us are beginning to think you are actually a computer program, roaming the pathways of the internet... :D

Quick point as I'm busy at the moment:
Chili, no more last minute stuff if I miss anything you'll know way in advance.

Get back to you all later.

indeed, this is very true and you justify why they should have broader frontage than 5 models. good to keep in mind, there are a lot of different ways of using grave guards and that should not be underestimated. some even use them with a frontage of 4 to get maximum rank bonus. like said, all opinions are more than welcome :)

good luck with the army Cal :thumb:

Bah, I'm a tad over. All I need to do is used a unit of dogs and a ghoul.

Here's a different version from some advice from d.net:
Strigoi vampire Count: Level 2, summon ghouls, curse of the reverant, iron sinews:340

Strigoi thrall: Bat form : 125

Necromancer: Level 2, dispell scroll,black periapt: 140

Necromancer: Level 2, book of arkhan, scroll : 150

24 skelletons: Spears, shields, full command: 241 (5*5 with the count)

24 zombies: 144

24 zombies: standard: 154

5 dire wolves: 50

5 dire wolves: 50

7 ghouls: 56

8 ghouls: 64

5 ghouls: 40

10 Black Knights: Fc, barding and the banner of the barrows: 335

3 fell bats: 60

3 fell bats: 60

PD: 8+2 bound spells
DD: 5 + 2 scrolls
Models: 123

Lol, what happened to the Grave Guard?! After all this talk about frontage and ranks... :P

Personally, Id ditch a unit of ghouls and get another two Knights to make the hammer hit even harder and increase the chances of auto-breaking with it. With 2 ghoul units left, 2 units of wolves, 2 bat units and the Thrall you'd still have plenty of support units.

By the way, the second unit of zombies is still 154 points.

Nothing as of yet funky, this is just an alternate version from some advice by Ches on d.net.

As for the dropping of the ghouls, I kinda think it's really fluffy to have 3 units as this is a strigoi army. Oh and this time I did do the pts for the zombies correctly.

Aye, but if you're going for a fluff kudos, Black Knights are a bit of a turn-off in a Strigoi army: I think I preferred the Grave Guard. With the BK, your main assault is now split up, and consequentially your attack is going to be softer on the enemy. It's a choice between using the M7, which you paid for, to engage like a proper cavalry unit, or using the Knights as a sort of infantry unit with lances to support your main line. It's easy to deal with two large, painful units if they come at you one after the other: where you make things difficult for your enemy is when you throw two such units in at the same time.

Sorry to double post, just wanted to enquire - you still coming, Cal? And if so, which army - the GG or the BK?

Sadly not, I don't have a list I'm happy with and more importantly I don't really have the time at the moment due to real life.

Very well. Until next time, then....

*cough*Calisanelectronicbeingwithnophysicalexistence*cough*....

I think the list is nice and solid, If I were you I'd try to fit in some black knights, probably instead of the ghouls.

Talk to Voodoomaster, MCWarhammer or Death on a Stick from d.net, they've met me at Gamesday. ;)