Steadfast Part One; Vampire Counts
Today's article is a beauty and one not to be missed. Written by Jervis Johnson, Warhammer: Steadfast - A guide to the Warhammer rulebook looks at each area of Warhammer and is full of hints, tips and advice. You'll find part one here, while parts two and three will be available tomorrow.
While I was in the Studio talking to Jervis about his article, I spotted some of Aly Morrison's superbly modelled Vampire Counts units. So, for today's dose of hobby, I thought we'd take a look at the forces of undeath.
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Aly's added extra character to all of his Vampire Counts units. He has removed the legs from the models in the back ranks to give them the appearance that they've only just been raised. You can really imagine an endless host of Skeletons being raised to replenish the unit.
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Aly has added all sorts of extra details to his Zombies - there are bits from the Daemonettes, Skeleton Warriors and Grave Guard kits. You'll notice he's mounted groups of four Zombies on 40mm square bases. This let him pose the Zombies closer together and more irregularly to create a shambolic looking horde. If you click on the image you'll be able to get a better look at the individual Zombies.
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These are Graeme Nicoll's Skeleton Warriors. Graeme made the snow for their bases by mixing Citadel Snow with PVA Glue, Skull White paint and some bicarbonate of soda. If you look closely you'll notice the snow has a slight blue tinge to it - Graeme added a small amount of Asurmen Blue wash to his mix to add to the otherworldly appearance of the unit.
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Graeme reckons that Grave Guard are most effective when armed with hand weapons and shields. 'They're Strength 4 and can chop through enemy infantry pretty easily. If they come up against an elite or well-armoured enemy then Killing Blow will normally see them through. I don't bother arming them with great weapons as they'll strike last, unless I think I'll be facing monsters and then the extra Strength helps.'
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Graeme used to field his Dire Wolves in two units of five but has found they work better as a single larger unit under the new edition. 'I was tempted to drop the Dire Wolves from my list in favour of more Skeletons but I really need their speed to hunt down enemy war machines,' says Graeme.
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Having got to grips with the new edition of Warhammer, Graeme has been frantically assembling more miniatures to bulk out his units with. 'I want all of my Skeleton and Zombie units to be at least 40 strong,' said Graeme. Above is a picture of what Graeme is preparing to paint next week.
Chris Taylor games regularly in Warhammer World. He's a fine fellow, winner of dozens of tournaments and something of a Vampire Counts expert. Those of us who have played against him (a harrowing experience) think he's perhaps a little undead himself - you may be friends before and indeed after the game, but during the battle his lifeless eyes hunger only for victory points. Over to Count Chris:
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Grave Guard are the elite infantry of the Vampire Counts. Two or more boxes of Grave Guard make for an ideal gift.
