Hi all,
We are continuing on through our series as we wait for more news about the Old World. Today’s featured group is in a very unusual spot. Where most armies lost units to the purges of Age of Sigmar, the Vampire counts entire range is still available. However, there have been some model changes that may force you to be creative in your modelling.
Adapting:
As already mentioned, there haven’t been any loses in 99% of their range. There have been a number of model swaps to note. The old zombie kits (thank god) and skeleton kits have been updated with much more fancy models. While these sculpts are much large,r they still rank up on 20mm square bases with some planning. The same goes for the new Wight King and Black Coach models. The only major losses of note include the character and generic vampire options. GW has a new generic vampire which can easily be adapted onto a square bases. For the named heroes you may have to hunt for the older models or find 3rd party options. There are a few ways to get more vampire options including special edition models, Cursed City miniatures, or even the Warhammer Underworlds vampire warband.
Options:
Weirdly, Age of Sigmar has opened up a massive realm of alternative models for Vampire Counts players. By expanding the Nighthaunt factions and adding in the Ossiarch Bonereapers you can now focus your models on a particular aesthetic. Let’s say you don’t like fleshy monstrosities and want an alternative to the Ghouls, Crypt Horrors, and Zombie miniatures. Well for Crypt Horrors just use Necropolis Stalkers or Grimgast Reapers (might be a tad small though). For Zombies and Ghouls just use Chainrasps or Harridans. The bonus of these models is that you can use them as either option depending on your army! Many of these units are going to be faster to paint to.
Conclusion:
It’s weird to think that the end of the Old World has actually given the Vampire Counts more options then they had previously. Some of these updates will be challenging to adapt (the Black Coach barely fits on its round base). This also has the downside of making it harder to find the older models as many are still in use and thus more expensive. This may change as the new zombie and skeleton warrior units enter circulation. Either way, it does make the Vampire Counts one of the easiest factions to buy into ahead of the Old World release. If you are thinking of jumping into fantasy this would be one of the armies I would suggest considering, both due to the relative power of its rules in 8th, as well as the availability of GW minis (not a requirement but might be a good way to future-proof the army going forward!)
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