122 replies to this topic

[Qwyksilver]

Rise my minions. Throw off the shackles of earthy confinement and march onward to war. Sow panic in your enemies with the very sight of your ghastly flesh and bones. Once the fear has been sown, reap our enemies. Their souls will fill the Dark Font in Thule and their bodies shall serve us until they are ground into ashes and dust.

For historical reference, feel free to view the past Faction threads:
Necropolis 2008
Necropolis 2007
Thule 1.2
Dark Font of Thule

[wildger]

I cannot believe that no one has made a post for the Necropolis. Here is my current 2.0 list. I believe that 1500 points will likely be the norm.

Using the online army builder, Necropolis 1500 points.

Troop 1
Judas
Malek
Vanderast
Crimson Knight x3
Skeletal Warriors x6
Phylacery
Magic Weapon

Troop 2
Sir Azarphan
Naomi
Skeletal Warrior x 4
Skeletal Swordman X4
Familiar

Troop 3
Sir Gauren
Nightspector
Skeletal Swordman x 5
Skeletal Archer x2

Troop 4
Railor
Skeletal Archer x6

Troop 5
Bone Horror

Troop 6
Gargoyle

Troop 7
Kaena

Why so many skeletons? This is built from the original deluxe and fraction starter sets. Skeletons, Railor, Sir Gauren and Nightspector are simply easy to paint. Given my limited free time in real life, it is a quick way to build up an army. Any comment is welcomed.

[vejlin]

WL2 is the first incarnation of the rules where I have actually gotten skeletons to work well. My problem has always been that skeletons just seemed to be too expensive for what they did. Now the skeletons are in my opinion worth their points, but being low value models you really can't expect all that much from them.

I've had a lot of success with this type of troop:
Gauren
Vanderast
9 warriors
3 archers

Charging in and attacking your enemy will simply get you killed with skeletons. They quite simply do not have much staying power and there is very little offensive power concentrated in a single skeleton. The problem is that even piling up on an enemy skeletons are weak since they don't get the support bonus.

So what's the use then? Tie up enemies while you concentrate your power to get local point superiority. I usually arrange the skeletons in a screen in front of the leader and elites. I almost never actually attack with the skeletons in my own activation. They're there to be speedbumps to the enemy while the leaders and elites chew through the enemy. Sometimes skeletons will wound something with their defensive strikes leaving it ripe for a charge by the leaders/elites.

Often you can charge up with Vanderast, kill an enemy (who doesn't get to strike back because of assassin), and then move skeletons up to shield Vanderast. If enemies are wounded Vanderast can often charge up basing two enemy soldiers and take both out (because of bloodlust and frenzy).

Again, actually using the skeletons to attack simply helps your enemy chew through them faster. Usually concentrating twice the amount of points of your target in an attack is enough to kill the target in a single activation. Most things are at least twice as many points as skeletons, meaning you are actually doing your opponent a favor by charging in and attacking with your skeleton.

I hope that made sense. I'm not sure how well I communicated my use of skellies, but it works well for me.

[wildger]

Thanks. I understand you quite well. This is the whole idea for troop #1. Judas/Vanderast leading the charge. Skeletons cannot support each other but can lend support to any non-Mindless models as normal. Troop #2 is to protect Naomi to cast spells. Troop #4 is to provide range support. Troop #3 is to plug whatever gap that is there. Bone Horror/Gargoyle are both flyers to take out enemy spellcasters if needed and Kaena is the reserve troop for the spellcasters.

[Stubbdog]

Although skellies do not gain the benefit of support, they do gain the benefit from a battle totem, and also the models that they fight beside (that are not mindless) do gain support bonuses from them being in btb.

So, I can affectively use them to support other models easy enough. Also, the spearman can still do attacks over the back without fear of getting defensive strikes most of the time,while again providing support to the model in front of it depending on who it is.

And although 2 swings at MAV 3 does not sound that potent, when you realize the average DV of our soldier models is just below 10 (granted the average DV of the actual soldiers fielded on the table top has been closer to 10.5), you are saying that your 13 point skeletal warrior is going to hit 25-30% of the time. Not a bad trade off, in my opinion.

One of my favorite tactics with the necros is to use Naomi and have her cast the Banshee Wail on a large area of the enemy either just before or even after I have charged in with the skellies. They are mindless so it doesnt matter if they are in the middle of the spell or not. That is affectively their version of support.

[wildger]

I am hoping that someone will do a review on all the Necroplis figures. Cruisaders and Necroplis used to be the two most popular factions due to the previously deluxe starter sets. Is there anyone left?

[Warwick]

I play, but I mostly field Vampires. And since I don't have a dozen games under my belt with them, I don't feel like I can come here and give some kind of essay. I do know Vampires are damn tough, Gargoyles can fly, people are scared of the Grave Horror. Hmm, I think that's my whole army right there.

[Gus Landt]

I've had great success with the following vampire list:

Necropolis - 1000 points

Troop 1
Judas Bloodspire, Anointed of Hars
Count Vandrian, Crimson Knight
Book of Tactics
Naomi, Mistress of Wings
Sir Osric, Crimson Knight
Chattel x 3
Crimson Knight x 7
Musician

[wildger]

I've had great success with the following vampire list:

Necropolis - 1000 points

Troop 1
Judas Bloodspire, Anointed of Hars
Count Vandrian, Crimson Knight
Book of Tactics
Naomi, Mistress of Wings
Sir Osric, Crimson Knight
Chattel x 3
Crimson Knight x 7
Musician

I don't feel that your list will work against Daisy Chain. Assuming your opponenet has 4 troops. Then, he moves first 80% of the time. There is a 60% chance that he can move twice before your first activation and 40% for moving three times. If he rolls well, it is game over before you are able to make your first move. It is even worse if you have to move first.

[Warwick]

Gus, I think I've played that list before! Brutal.
Against Daisy Chain I would deploy my back to a wall, put the Chattel and Naomi in the center and all the others out front, slight spread out. Yes, you're going to get killed by the Fireball and lose all the Chattel unless you have Naomi counter it, which sort of defeats the purpose of bringing her in the first place. Anyway, if you can square up and lessen the Fireball damage, your Vampires should make life hell for those demons. But I don't think you'll win.

[wildger]

Against Daisy Chain I would deploy my back to a wall, put the Chattel and Naomi in the center and all the others out front, slight spread out. Yes, you're going to get killed by the Fireball and lose all the Chattel unless you have Naomi counter it, which sort of defeats the purpose of bringing her in the first place. Anyway, if you can square up and lessen the Fireball damage, your Vampires should make life hell for those demons. But I don't think you'll win.

It is even worse if Gus has to move first. If you move, you break the formation. If not, your opponent can still move 4 consecutive times. The mighty Judas will not survive.

[Gus Landt]

Against Daisy Chain I would deploy my back to a wall, put the Chattel and Naomi in the center and all the others out front, slight spread out. Yes, you're going to get killed by the Fireball and lose all the Chattel unless you have Naomi counter it, which sort of defeats the purpose of bringing her in the first place. Anyway, if you can square up and lessen the Fireball damage, your Vampires should make life hell for those demons. But I don't think you'll win.

It is even worse if Gus has to move first. If you move, you break the formation. If not, your opponent can still move 4 consecutive times. The mighty Judas will not survive.

A) I've never played this army against DC. I wasn't aware that this was a DC thread. You know, people actually play Warlord without playing DC.
B) If I was playing DC, and I thought it would be bad to move, why would I move first? If my card comes up, I can just say 'pass'
C) I'm still not buying that DC would kill this army. With this army, I typically have to charge across the field to get into combat anyway. Having it all come to me sounds awesome!

[Shakandara]

I don't feel that your list will work against Daisy Chain. Assuming your opponenet has 4 troops. Then, he moves first 80% of the time. There is a 60% chance that he can move twice before your first activation and 40% for moving three times. If he rolls well, it is game over before you are able to make your first move. It is even worse if you have to move first.

I agree with Gus that with a list like that, you don't necessary need nor want to go first against a Daisy Chain. As for multiple activations happening before your card, who cares? Once the DC is on the table, the remaining cards from the Darkspawn are single model activations, most likely to be demon imps on the far side of the battlefield. They have zero impact on what the Necros will be doing in turn 1 anyway. Their contribution to the initiative deck won't matter until Turn 2. At that point, it would be desirable for the Necros to effectively activate back-to-back, and they have 3 cards (2 from Tacticians) and at least 1 Spy available to help counteract the Darkspawn troop number advantage. It's no lock, but at least fair odds.

The primary advantage of the Darkspawn DC is that it creates a "super-troop" that can bring all its firepower to bear in one activation. A single-troop Necro list full of self-healing vampires does the same thing. Based on the proposed DC list that has been posted, over half of the Darkspawn models are 2 track with a DV of 10 or less. These are prime targets for MAV 5 #MA 3 Crimson Knights with Weaponmaster to kill outright and heal a wound from. If the Necros are able to pull off effectively back-to-back activations between Turns 1 & 2, any vampires that aren't killed outright during the DC's first activation have a very high probability of being fully healed after 2 activation's worth of potential feeding, meaning the Darkspawn now have to hack through fresh DV 12 and DV 13 models all over again. This gives the troop endurance, something that the DC list is not especially strong at (outside of Rauthuros, the Marilith and the Ice Demons).

~v

Edited by Shakandara, 27 August 2009 - 02:58 PM.

[Stubbdog]

I think I am gonna start asking for mods to delete any references to daisy chain stuff outside of Darkspawn posts.

Meanwhile, here is a couple of fun little lists that I have been thinking about using lately:

List one:
Necropolis - 998 points

Troop 1
Rhasia, Zombie Queen
Vanderast, Bloodseeker Vampire
Nivar, Wraith
Zombie x 16
Musician

Troop 2
Graverot, Ghast
Ghast x 3
Deathrider x 3

Troop 3
Gargoyle x 5

Troop 4
Luck Stone
---------------------------------------
3 troops, 31 models, 2 spies

This one is all about the three waves. Playing Dance of the Dead, try to see if you can pick up a few "helpers" along the way. The zombies being the slow weak wave, but with Rhasia's WA, they just keep getting back up. Troop 2 is the first strike and then finish off with curse and savage troop, trying to work together to optimize their abilities. Just have to have the horses move slower than they normally would. Gargoyles fly around and force the enemy to separate his force in ways they didnt expect to and then pick their battles.


And idea #2

Necropolis - 999 points

Troop 1
Rhasia, Zombie Queen
Skeletal Swordman x 11
Skeletal Spearman
Zombie x 5

Troop 2
Sir Athak, Crimson Knight
Skeletal Swordman x 5
Skeletal Spearman

Troop 3
Graverot, Ghast
Skeletal Swordman x 5
Skeletal Spearman

Troop 4
Graverot, Ghast
Skeletal Swordman x 5
Skeletal Spearman

Troop 5
Gargoyle x 5

Equipment
Luck Stone
Battle Totem

--------------------------------
5 Troops, 44 models, 1 spy, battle totem

The second list is all based on the idea that I will get enough battle totem supported swings to get the cleaves I need to win. Gargoyles to mop up. Between Crypt Legion and Rhasia's WA, the hope is that enough models will keep standing up to outlast their weak nature. Surprise the enemy with either an exploding gargoyle or Graverot.

[ViciousPanzer]

Shak, one thing to remember about the daisy chain list is that it's all demons who now have the summoned SA. Sadly, Vampire does not function against models with the Summoned SA, nor constructs, nor undead, nor on defensive swings. Nope, you can only suck dry fresh juicy live targets like my poor bondslave survivors. Serves them right for not being more ambitious though I suppose.