The Rise of the Vampires
Within the borders of the Empire lies the sinister province of Sylvania, a once proud land that fell to the predations of a dark and unholy race of Undead monsters. Many attempts have been made to reclaim this province - none of them successfully, for all who venture into this mist-swathed land never return. Well, not alive at any rate. Within the darkness of this tainted place lie the realms of the Vampire Counts - a truly diabolical race of immortal Undead lords, who strive for supremacy in all its forms. They are knowledgeable, devious, power-mad, highly skilled, incredibly deadly, mostly attractive (if you don't mind the fangs) and, for the most part, blood thirsty maniacs. Megalomaniacal pretty much sums them up.
So what does it mean to collect an army of Vampire Counts? Well first off, Vampires are generally pretty self-obsessed creatures, fully intent on living forever and crushing the mortal world beneath their iron-clad heels. Sounds like a good start, eh? But with such great ambition, you need to be pretty powerful to accomplish your goals. Fortunately, Vampires are phenomenally powerful individuals and they can destroy other heroes with impunity (and then drink their blood afterwards if they feel the need for a mid-battle snack), before summoning a vast horde of Undead warriors to fight around them. All in all, they've certainly got what it takes to achieve their life-long (or should that be death-long?) ambitions.
The thing is, while your Vampire is monumentally dangerous on the battlefield, Undead warriors like Skeletons and Zombies are not, let's be honest, very good at fighting. In fact, even a Goblin would have a relatively good chance of taking one down. Well, for a minute or two at any rate. The great thing about the Undead is that they don't die (again) very easily and with a Necromancer or Vampire nearby, they do have a habit of getting back up again. So that Goblin may have to kill the same Skeleton several times over, which can get very tiring and utterly demoralising for the poor little thing. Of course, there are some races that revel in endless slaughter (I'm looking at you, armies of Chaos), but when your army keeps getting back up, they will eventually lose the war of attrition.
Essentially you have a very persistent army, backed up with plenty of magic, everything causes Fear (if not Terror), and you've got some seriously mighty heroes to lead them all into battle.
So what goodies do we have in store for the Vampire Counts? Well not only is there a new full-colour hardback army book, but we've also got several new monsters, new war machines, new hero models, some resurrected old heroes, plenty of new plastic kits, a load of Citadel Finecast models, a set of Magic Cards... in fact, I'll just put them in below and you can have a look yourself. Just click on the picture to find out more about each of the new kits.
If you place your order by Sunday, we'll make sure that your new models are waiting for you in your local Games Workshop on the release day (that's January 14th), ready for you to start building and painting them all. Or, if you absolutely can't get out of the house next weekend - maybe you've got some Dire Wolves that need walking, or a couple of Crypt Horrors to feed - then you can always have them sent to an address of your choice and you'll receive them on the week starting the 16th January.
If all that wasn't enough for you, we've even sorted out a video of all the new units so that you can see every aspect of these awesome new kits. We've even stuck a bit of dramatic music on it for you, just to get you in the mood for a bit of Necromantic chicanery.
We're pretty sure that you're all just as excited as we are about these new models - they are truly stunning figures and many of us here in the office are itching to get our hands on them. Ed (our resident Warhammer guru) has already decided to reinvigorate his Vampiric horde over the next week in preparation for the release next weekend. I, like many of the other guys, am now torn (as always), between starting another new army or continuing my existing one. Well it is a new year, so maybe I can justify it...
Anyway, our plans aside, one of the best ways to find out more about the new Vampire Counts is to check out January's issue of White Dwarf, which is available in our Hobby Centres this weekend. I managed to get a couple of quick shots from it to show you all what's inside:
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As you may have guessed, the issue is very heavily themed around the Vampire Counts, including an in-depth look at one of the oldest and most familiar armies of the Warhammer world. We may think we know all about Skeleton Warriors and Necromancers, but the new Army Book is far darker than its previous incarnation (yes, that is possible), including a whole host of new units and gribbly creatures to include in your army.
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And they're all shown off in this issue in glorious full-colour spreads, which includes notes by the painters on the look they wanted to achieve on each miniature. Anja's comments on the Coven Throne were particularly interesting and well worth a read before you tackle such a huge army centrepiece.
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What White Dwarf would be complete without a battle report? In this month's issue the Vampire Counts (unsurprisingly) take on the High Elves in a battle full of glittering armour and unholy magic. Be afraid, there are two Terrorgheists and a Zombie Dragon in Jervis' army list - he might even win this time (well, maybe...).
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One of the really big announcements in this issue is Warhammer: Civil War, the first part of an official expansion for Warhammer. The premise is simple: to fight a war against your own race - an unusual, but certainly not uncommon occurrence in the Warhammer world. Included in this first part is the background to the expansion, written by Jervis Johnson, plus the first sets of rules for fighting against your own kin. Trust me when I say your games could get pretty messy with these rules in play.
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Immortal, vengeful warriors seem to be the theme for January's White Dwarf, with Mat Ward contributing a Necron Tactica to the issue. There are plenty of handy tactics for all you Necron players, including tips for creating your own C'tan Shard and how to get the most out of your Scarabs. It's also well worth a read if you don't collect Necrons, if only to know the tell-tale signs of a nasty tactic that's about to be used on you.
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There are also two painting guides to look through, one for the Beastmen Ghorgon and a second for the Mortis Engine - the new war machine for the Vampire Counts. Between the two articles there are 14 pages of painting tips and tricks for you to benefit from. Personally I'm very interested in trying out the ghost painting technique that Steve Bowerman (one of the Studio painters) used on the spirits that carry the Mortis Engine into battle.
So don't forget to pick up your copy of White Dwarf when you visit your local store this weekend. Alternatively, you could set up a subscription with us today, and we'll ensure that you never miss another issue.
And last but not least, I've also included links to all other Vampire Counts kits that are now available to advance order, including a whole host of miniatures that have been re-released in Citadel Finecast. Make sure you check back next week when we'll be taking a closer look at the new units and the fantastic new Army Book.
