Editorial - Bidding the vampire armybook an unfond farewell!

Well I'm just getting ready to go have a nice relaxing weekend- and- a- bit- gaming with my arch-friend Max. This weekend is just getting Max into fantasy again with his vampire counts - a week before the new book no less! Poor planning - although this weekend was the first (and last) I've had free for a while to go away.

Even so, it will be a bitter fought weekend with Max pulling every dirty rotten trick he can, so I'm ready for him! It's 1500 points and I'm bringing my daemons of slaanesh, just because I have them built, painted, and experience with them.

So, what do I expect? Knowing Max, a huge hoard of Ghouls, some skellies and a huge grave guard deathstar with a vamp bunkered up in it, with libral casting of necromancy to keep his armies buffed and resurrected.

So, what have I brought? Well I'm mixing it up a little. First of all is a big block of 50 daemonettes in a hoard. The Hero restriction at 375 points, I could afford one herald of tzeentch (a must in my list when facing a magic heavy list like vamps) and a herald of slaanesh. With only one herald, I can only buff one regiment, so I just combined my usual two into one large one. The herald was given a BSB and banner of sundering, which I'll choose to use the -2 debuff to all casting by Lore of necromancy. I never leave home without the banner of sundering, it's a very under rated magic flag!

Second - flamers of tzeentch - I'm running a full unit of 6 for a nice bunker for my herald of tzeentch. With their marching D6 flaming shooting attack, I should make mincemeat of any regenerating units and weaken up any smaller units for decisive charges. The herald has loremaster and a dispel scroll (or the daemon equivalents) and will probably run with shaodw in my first game, then beasts in my second.

Thirdly - two fiends of slaanesh and a unit of seekers, both for flank protection, flank charges and big critter removal.

And that's it - a very small, fragile army. I am tempted to change it about abit this weekend, by taking 3 bloodcrushers instead of the seekers, and dropping a rank of 10 daemonettes to help cover the costs. The bloodcrushers have slightly more staying power and much more punch. I'll see how the first list goes - it's abit weaker but more nippier, although against a slow foe like vamps it might be a bit redundant.

I'll let you all know how it goes - I've also got a game against my friend Matt's High Elves tommorow so I don't want to tailor my lists, as that's just not cricket!

Wish me luck!