Vampire Counts 2,250 list - this is what I am working towards.

I have posted a few variations of this list previously but this is what I am working towards for assembly and painting at the moment. Overall I am pretty happy with this list. I have played two games with it so far and won both. Would love to get feedback from the more (or less) experienced VC generals reading this. The overall theme is still Skeletons.

Skeledudes!

LORDS: (400)
Vampire Lord - Level 3, Red Fury, Beguile, Dread Knight, Blood Drinker, Walach's Bloody Hauberk, Black Periapt (400)

With the exception of the level 2 Vampire the rest of my characters are deployed in the unit of Black Knights. This Lord build is a bit of a hybrid but mostly combat orientated. He has a 1+ armor save, a 5+ ward save, and the Blood Drinker to help keep him alive. Combined with Beguile and Red Fury he can really do a number on most units/models while still supporting the rest of his unit.

HEROES: (605)
Vampire - Dark Acolyte, Lord of the Dead, Book of Arkhan, Cadaverous Cuirass (195)
Vampire - BSB, Royal Standard of Strigos, Dread Knight, Walking Death (210)
Vampire - Dread Knight, Supernatural Terror, Gem of Blood, Dispel Scroll (200)

The level 2 Vampire is deployed with the Grave Guard, typically with units of Skeletons to either flank. He spends most of the game buffing up these units while trying to stay close to the action to make use of the book. The BSB is mostly a support character but he can do plenty of damage on his own, plus he bring +2 CR and Hatred to the unit of Black Knights. Initially I was planning on making my BSB a Wight King but I have not been able to find a model I like enough to use so he has become a Vampire instead.

The third Vampire is mostly there for extra killing power, a bit of Terror for fun (this might get dropped), and the nasty trick that is the Gem of Blood. Great in a challenge when you just need to get that last wound in (especially if your opponent doesn't have a ward or regen save). It can be dangerous though .. on a roll of a 1 it does 2 wounds to the Vampire instead. This item might be dropped for another Dispel Scroll but for now I am going with just one.

CORE: (468)
Skeleton Warriors x 20 - Musician, Standard (172)
Skeleton Warriors x 20 - Musician, Standard (172)
Zombies x 20 - Musician (84)
Dire Wolves x 5 (40)

Skeletons! Initially wanted to field two units of 30 but I couldn't find the points to include the extra models and the Grave Guard. Zombies are my tar pit and redirecting unit, typically deployed near the flank of one Skeleton unit to stop and nasty stuff from getting a flank charge. The small unit of Dire Wolves is mostly a nuisance I use to chase off flyers and other Fast Cav. Also good for throwing at war machines to give them something to worry about for a turn. Would love to run more but I don't have the points!

SPECIAL: (501)
Black Knights x 7 - Heavy Armor, Shield, Lance, Standard, Champion, Banner of Hellfire (210)
Grave Guard x 19 - Heavy Armor, Shield, Musician, Standard, Banner of the Barrows (291)

Black Knights have the always important champ for taking challenges I don't want to throw a Vampire (or Lord) at. They bring the Banner of Hellfire for regen and anything that needs to be hit by magic attack. The Grave Guard are 19 strong and have the banner of +1 to hit. Always nice to hit most things on a 3+ especially when you have Killing Blow!

RARE: (275)
Cairn Wraiths x 5 - Banshee (275)

Wraiths. People don't like them and I know why. The biggest issue I have seen with this unit is it's larger frontage. I often throw these at a flank and they tend to kill themselves out of CC. Without the wounds for CR things can get dicey. You never want to crumble with a unit of 5 models that costs 275 points!

Total Points: 2,249 (of 2,250)

So that is what I am working towards finishing at the moment. As for the status of the models ...

• 40 Skeletons (60 assembled, 20 painted, 20 in progress, 20 yet to be primed)
• 20 Zombies (20 assembled and primed)
• 5 Dire Wolves (10 assembled, 4 painted, 6 in progress)
• 19 Grave Guard (10 assembled and waiting to be primed, another box to be assembled)
• 7 Black Knights (16+ assembled, 1 painted, 2 in progress, the rest are primed)
• 5 Wraiths w/ Banshee (5 assembled, 1 painted, 4 to be primed)
• Vampire on foot (1 assembled and waiting to be primed - may make a different model still)
• Vampire Lord (1 assembled and primed - a bit tipsy though and he doesn't rank up well)
• Vampire BSB (1 assembled and primed - using one of my Blood Knight models)
• Vampire on Nightmare (1 painted)
  

As you can see, most of the work to be done is in the painting stage. I am still hoping to have this done by the end of the year but it isn't looking likely. Even if I finish multiple units a week I will probably run out of time. I will have it all assembled and primed though dangit!!

Progress Report - Good news / Bad news.

First up, a bit of good news. I am going to have a lot more time to work on models in the next few weeks. I'm hoping to complete the assembly, basing, and priming of my VC force so I can get into the painting and hopefully complete the army before the new year.

The reason I have all this time to spend on models is because of the bad news. I was laid off from my job on Friday. I should be able to collect unemployment until I find a new job but it will still leave me a bit light on cash for any hobby spending for the forseeable future.

Also planning a move back home (Michigan) to be closer to my friends and family - this takes me far from the established WHFB scene here in Texas. Hopefully I will be able to scrounge up some games or get my friends back home addicted to collecting models of their own. I know I will miss the outstanding tabletop scene here in Austin. I didn't know how good I had it...

But enough about me and my (as of lately) crappy life. How about some more WIP pictures of my recent VC model work?

A finished Wraith with green stuff'd hood from the front.

I struggled a bit with the hood at first as it was covering too much of the skull below. I opted for a sort of "half cowl" look with tattered rags and I am pretty happy with the results.

This one was a bit tricky as I had to blend the green stuff hood with the original sculpt.

It looks a bit jaunty but I don't mind. Perhaps this particular Wraith is quite happy about his lot in unlife.

Also finished this little Skeleton unit filler. I bet this guy will be the life of the party.

Last but not least we have a fully assembled and primed Vampire Lord (being played by the mounted Mannfred von Carstein model).

This guy was a pain in the ass to get together as there were a ton of gaps that needed filling and I used one of the Iron Halo resin bases which required pinning and lots of glue to keep him standing upright. He is a bit tipsy and doesn't quite rank up with other cavalry models too well but I really like this model so I guess I will make it work.

That's all for now! Comments, suggestions, and critiques are welcome and encouraged as always.

Progress Report - Wraith WIP pictures.

Spent some time last weekend working on the final assembly of my Vampire Counts army. It has been almost a year and I have still yet to finish and play a 2,250 game with my new toys. What a shame.

To rectify that situation I worked on completing my unit of 5 Wraiths with Banshee. Here are a couple WIP pics before any green stuff was added.

The bodies are from the Lord of the Rings "Army of the Dead" models but I have removed the heads and hands and replaced them with Skeleton/Grave Guard bits. The scythes were made from Grave Guard standard poles/arms with Zombie scythe blades attached to the top. It was a bit difficult to find a pose that was radically different so I tried to go with ones that looked active and "realistic" - whatever that is for an undead monster.

And here is a group shot with the previously completed Banshee model. I have since completed the Wraith models with green stuff hoods and gap filling. I like the way they turned out, look for pictures of them to be added here soon.

Also wanted to share a couple links I have enjoyed the past few days:

• Games Workshop's Astronomican is pretty awesome. I know most GW gamers like to give them flack for a lack of fan support but I think pages like this are a step in the right direction.
• The Trading Post is a new Fantasy Blog hub with news and a long list of great Fantasy blogs you should check out.
• Noeste's blog has a great post detailing his Dragon Ogre conversion - something I wish I had the time and money to try out for myself. While you are there take a look at his Female Marauders of Slaanesh which are also quite awesome.