Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

So me and my two friends are starting up playing Warhammer Fantasy. I elected to use skaven and my friends picked vampire counts and high elves. I heard a lot of things about the use of slave and the like and warp lighting cannons are great. the one thing I would like to stipulate in this discussion we have all agreed not to use any named characters. Silly yes but i do not want to face trecils or what ever his name is at a 3k point level. I guess what I am asking is how do I go about beating both of my opponents. The one playing the HE is using sword master in a twenty block so thats a lot of ouch comming my way the VC play is playing there cards close so no clue. Anything I can expect from them worry about certain units that sort of thing? Thanks in advance for any and all advice given.

I've never played as or aginst high elves.

But VC I know a little about.

All VC units cause fear and some cause terror.


VC have 4 core choices

Zombies
Your slaves are cheeper and have a better stat line than his zombies, but zombies cause fear and can be rez'ed.

Skeletons
Your clanrats are cheeper and have a better statline than his skeletons, but his skeletons cause fear and can be rez'ed and can carry magic banner worth 25pts.

Ghouls
No armor save, 2 attacks each, T4, poisened attacks, cause fear and can be rezz'ed.

Zombie wolves
Will hunt your war machines

For specials,

He will run a 30 man unit of grave guard armed with great weapons and the banner of the barrows so they'll be S6 and have killing blow and need -1 to hit (so if they normally would need 3's to hit with the banner they need 2's) just about every VC player runs this unit so count on it.

He might also run black knights or hexwraiths. Black knights can move through terrain as though its wasn't there and hexwriths can move through your troops as though they weren't there and kill them while doing it.

Most VC player bring several bases worth of spirit hosts, they're etherial so you can't wound them except with magic spells/weapons.

For rares,

Terrorgeists, he's gonna bring 1 or maybe 2. They have a special scream attack and cause terror. Take a look at his codex if he brings one of these so you're aware of what it can do.

Black coach, I've never played one but they can be nasty after awhile (they get batter as the game goes on)

Mortis engine, Zaps all enemy units within a random distance at the start of each turn and gives his units (within the same random distance) one better to there regeneration saves, (or a 6+ if they don't have one)

General stuff...

VC units have to be within 12 inches of the general to march unless they have a vampire with them or have the vampiric special rule. So if his general is off to one side the rest of the army is going to be moveing no more then 4 inches a turn (unless there movement is more obviously)

If his general dies then all his units must take a crumble test. The way this works is all units take a leadship test (2D6) for every point over their leadership they are they take a wound with no saves allowed.

If he has another wizard that knows spells from the lore of vampires then in subseqent turns he doesn't have to take any more crumble checks.

Basicly if you kill his general then you will most likely win. However a vampire lord is straight up nasty in CC and will carry a fight all by himself even with average rolls.

Skaven are an older codex and so they have their own armory, use it to it's full advantage.

Warpfire cannons, weapon teams, anything that uses a template. VC feild lots of big (mostly T3) units so chances are your templates will hit and wound something.

VC are a horde army and will never flee from combat, so if you throw a unit of stormvermin at a big unit of zombies you'll be there all game.

I'm tired, going to bed...