strewart said:
Skellies and zombies may suck, but they're not meant to kill. They're meant to hold units in place while you flank them then use fear to chase them all away. And they do that very well, don't blow them off because of their stats on paper.
Yea, what he said.
I'm a fairly new player too, and still kinda learning the ropes of my army. And it's only really been within my last 3 or 4 games or so that I'm really starting to learn the power of fear.
You see, if you check out JovanWolf's thread on this page, I'm the one that he's referring to about having a really bad losing streak. And I realize now that it wasn't because the armies suck, it's because I didn't utilize it properly.
I used to think that all fear was good for was making an enemy unit run away when you charge it, and that might not always happen because they have to pass a leadership test. But no, you can really make fear work to your advantage, and it can quickly change the tides of a game.
You think the Skeletons suck so bad? Well, you obviously haven't had your regiment of Skeletons defeat a Lizardman Stegadon in combat, have it flee, and then catch it with your Skeletons, destroying it. Yes, as long as the unit isn't Immune to Psychology, cause fear or terror themselves (making them immune to it), or unbreakable, your Skeletons don't have to kill to destroy, if you know what I mean.
The key to Skeletons and Zombies is numbers. You charge a unit with your regiment of Skeletons. You raise another regiment on charged units flanks (or rear). The unit you charged with holds for 2 combat phases (yours and your opponents, and you can make that happen with raising skeletons into your regiments, making it a big unit), and you get a flank or rear charge with that new, raised unit. Even if your skeletons don't cause a single casuality, they will almost certainly win combat. Why? Because the numbers in both your regiments combine. So you will most likely outnumber. Then if the flanking or rear charge regiment has a unit strength of at least 5 (again, easy with Vampire Counts), you will get a flank or rear charge bonus during combat resolution (worth 1 or 2 points, depending on if it's a flank [1] or rear charge [2]), take away their rank bonuses (which is 3 up to 3 points in combat resolution they don't get) while keeping yours, plus a standard bearer, and however many wounds you did do.
Just as an example, let's use Skaven. You charge a regiment of 25 clanrats with a regiment of 20 skeletons. You also raise a new regiment of skeletons to the flank of the clanrats during your magic phase. During the first combat, you might not deal damage. Let's say you even lose combat. So overall, let's say you lost (again, just for example) 5 skeletons overall from your regiment. Then in their combat phase, they will probably win that combat again. So let's say overall, you lose about 10 skeletons. But now it's your turn again. You now declare a charge with that flank regiment that you summoned earlier. If the unit strength is 5 or more, the clanrats automatically have to take a panic test, which can send them fleeing. But say, for the sake of arguement, they pass. They hold. Now you're gonna deal some wounds from the flank. The clanrats no longer have a rank bonus. And you get +1 for the flank charge. Even if you deal no wounds, you're going to get, in combat resolution, 1 point for a flank charge, up to 3 points for ranks, 1 point for a standard bearer, and 1 point for outnumbering. They'll get 1 point for a standard bearer...
So without wounds, that is a 6-1 combat resolution, in your favor. Then you factor in any wounds you did... you're most likely gonna with combat. And since you cause fear, and outnumber, the clanrats automatically have to flee. And you have a chance to chase them down. The panic can then ripple through any nearby units, causing them to flee as well. It puts your army into a good position.
Oh, and did I mention, that this is probably the weaker way of doing this? There are spells and items that you can get that will allow you to have those summoned regiments charge as soon as they are summoned. If one of your wizards has Vanhel's Danse Macabre, or the Book of Arkhan, you can charge a regiment during your charge phase with your main skeleton regiment, during your magic phase summon a new regiment of skeletons in the flank, and then charge them during your magic phase with a Book of Arkhan or Vanhel's Danse Macabre.
Yea, on paper, skeletons suck. But their strength isn't in their weapon skill. Their strength is in their intangibles. And their strength is a very good one.
As for your other question, well, which is better depends on your style of play. For the type of game that I play, Necrarch is the best. Because I'm not worried on the combat that my individual characters can provide. I'm worried about their effectiveness in the magic phase. I'm worried about summoning those new regiments of skeletons and zombies so that I can get those rear and flank charges.
If you want combat, then the Blood Dragon is for you. They are by far the best combat bloodline. The Lahmians offer something else. They will probably never be beaten in initiative order, but they won't deal the damage that a Blood Dragon will. But they can do other things as well, such as make enemy units fight each other.
I would prefer the Lahmians of those 2. But that's not to say they are better. It would just be more my style of play. Most VC players seem to like the Blood Dragons. And with good reason.
P.S. Despite my rant about the skeletons and utilizing them properly, Ghouls are good. I've never had a chance to use them myself, but a group of skirmishers with 2 poisoned attacks each, with a pretty nice ws and toughness for a core unit... I like the Ghouls. Many also like the Dire Wolves. Best advice, toy around with different things, and find what works best for your style of play.