Warhammer: Vampire Counts Army

[Sean George]

Hi everyone, bought myself the Vampire Counts army box set the other day but don't have the money to get the army book (yet)

So i'd like some advise on what to build my stuff as..

Vampire Lord on Dragon OR Ghoul King on Terrorgheist (1)
Coven Throne OR Mortis Engine (1)
Black Knights OR Hexwraiths (5)
Vargheists or Crypt Horrors (3)

In addition to these, i have: (not all came with the army obviously i had them before)
Isabella Von Carstein (1)
Vlad Von Carstein (1)
Wight King (1)
Wight king standard bearer (1)
Krell, Lord of Undeath (1)
Necromancer (1)
Corpse Cart (1)
Zombies (20)
Skeletons (20)
Crypt Ghouls (10)

Would appreciate anyone who can just tell me which is better to make out of the kits and if anyone could throw together a 1000 list i would very grateful as i'll test game against my mate (who has Empire/Bret's)

Thanks Everyone.

[Calgar33]

Well I think it really depends on how you plan on building your army but I would say go with the Vampire lord (1. I like Blood Dragons better, 2. You get a pretty sweet foot Ghoul King then.) I think the mortis engine is probably a better choice especially since you would need to spend points on a Vampire Lord to get the Coven Throne. Black Knights are way less points and would probably fit in 1000 point army. Vargheists would work better because you are going to need something to get to the Empire's artillery quickly and Crypt Horrors obviously can't do that.

[Sean George]

Thanks, I was thinking the Dragon and Vargheists and yeah i agree that Black knight are probably better in smaller games..
Mortis Engine.. I'm probably not going to do with simply because i look at the model as something to paint really nicely and i'm interested in doing it in Coven Throne style and if i need a Mortis Engine, i'll just buy another :)
Thanks for the advice :D

[TheCastigator]

It really depends on what you want to do. A Ghoul king on the Terrorgheist will be a better choice in competitive environments every time. The other thing to keep in mind is that the percentages will not let you take a Vampire Lord with full kit and a Dragon until 2500. At 1500 you can squeeze in a lord/ghoul king and a Terrorgheist in the rare choice. In terms of game play the Mortis Engine will provide more utility and it syncs up well with Crypt Horrors, which are one of the toughest anvil units in the game. Vargheists are very good, but take some finesse to use, though I never leave home without at least a unit of 3. The Coven Throne is good, but like the zombie dragon, will eat your points up super fast. Black knights are awesome and will deliver a vampire lord exactly where you need him. Plus they can be raised 1+ lvl, so you'll be able to bring a significant number back if you have a high level caster. Hexwraiths are good for their run through ability if and often draw an inordinate amount of attention.