Gotta say I really enjoy this game

[Vampiresbane]

...which after my complete level of disappointment with Rome 2 is surprising. I really didn't think Rome 2 was a good game at all and Rome 1 was superior but after yesterday, I'm sold on Warhammer Total War. Why?

TLDR - Vampire Counts...that's why.

Awesome Moment #1.

Long version? I was attacking the southern human realms with 1.5 armies. I had started brand new outta of the gates with Vampire Lords because undead...hello? Typically when attacking weaker factions I use a main army, best unit comp, great makeup and mix, and a well leveled hero. 2nd army is my cannon fodder army, raise lots of skeletons and zombies to send in as fodder so main army can break through and cleanup. Great plan right?

Well I was fighting faction that was 6th in strength but only 2 cities. I'm #1, but 3 of my 5 armies are up north keeping an eye on the Chaos zergfest. That means this Brettonia faction had 3 decent well made armies of 1st and 2nd level units against my decent main army and somewhat understrength cannon fodder army. So I should lose.

What happens? I leave a nearby, recently taken city of theirs undefended as bait. I move army #1 and #2 near their capitol, taking some casualties due to attrition. So now I'm no longer 100%, more like 90-95%. They have a main army and a full well balanced garrison. Their 3rd army is now in striking distance of their recently lost city.

In for a penny, in for a pound, I attack their capitol with both armies, but because I attack with my main army first, my main army actually takes the brunt of the casualties while my cannon fodder plays cleanup with hordes of skeleton and zombies. The sight of zombies and skeletons pouring over the walls was....so...jaw dropping. This game would have won me over right there, but keep reading. So awesome moment #1.

Attacking their city I didn't hit the entire wall, I picked a single gate and the closest walls and hit it sending both armies at a single point. This also helps because of all the overlapping terror/fear/leadership auras all my units and heros have. It had looked iffy, but once the skeletons and zombies added to the mix and broke the defenses, it was just a matter of fighting in the streets with cav and heros to cleanup before the final push into the town square.

Oh and did I mention the enemy had 4 mortars firing fire bombs the entire fight? Added so much devastation to my awesome moment #1. Undead and humans on fire, undead and humans being blown apart and off the ramparts...just nuts.


Ok so I take the city, though it was close. My main army because of dominate is at full strength, but it can't be moved due to game mechanics for taking a city. My cannon fodder army can and I need to distract or attack that loose Bretonnian army-or he'll retake a city. So I combine all the understrength zombies and skeles, raise as many as possible. And move my forces as far south within the newest territory as possible as bait. This way if the remaining army attacks and takes the city, I'll have regenerated as many of my units as possible.

Awesome Moment #2

But...he takes the bait. And once again I'm in a fight I should lose. Really, really badly.

I have over half zombies, 1/3 skeletons, and a mix of larger, more monstrous units, along with my hero. They have a good mix of halberds, swords, crossbowmen, missile cav, and their cav mounted hero. So I have really almost worthless units to his pretty decent army.

So first things first, I make him come to me.
Second fight in the woods, negating or reducing damage from their missle cav and archers.
3rd I raise 2 more groups of zombies because....undead? Hello?
4th Once the enemy hero engages I swarm him with 1 unit of cheap skeletons and 2 of my monstrous units and my own hero. He almost gets killed and flees the battle.

Once their lord flees, most of their units are wavering, but now it's a matter of do their units break and route or do mine...literally break? Well let's be realistic, mine are mostly zombies so yeah they disintegrated.

So now it's 5 or 6 units of massively hurt units of swords, 5 units of fairly full strength crossbowmen, 3 units of missile cav
versus...
My one, utterly alone, hero.

Except he's a vampire lord...
With a self healing ability ...
AND a magical trinket that reduces damage taken by 55% every 60 seconds.

So guess who won with 20% health left and everything on recharge?
My totally alone, badass of a vampire count.

Awesome moment #2 engaged.

Awesome moment #3

So you might be saying, if you've only played humans or dwarves or some other silly (ie not undead) faction, well OP you're screwed now. You have a single hero with ZERO backup. Next time that enemy hero gets his courage back, he'll be back with his half army and you'll have nada.

Oh....you must be new here.

So yeah because of the MASSIVE fight that was that battle and because I didn't spend any money the previous turn, I got to immediately raise not just a few zombies and skeletons. Oh no.
I got Blood Knights. I got Dire Wolves. I got Grave Guard. I got a Vargulf. I got Fell Bats. Oh and a few zombies too because undead? HELLO?

So now my underpowered-cannon-fodder-army-reduced-to-a-single-unit-ie-my-hero is now....another extremely well equipped, mean, nasty army ready to rape, pillage, and destroy all things living. Oh did I mention from the taking of the enemy capitol AND winning the field battle my hero gained 3 levels? Awesome moment #3.

Oh and yeah the half strength enemy army is easily within striking distance.

Lunch time!

Fought him and fed him to my Dire Wolves, destroying his army in the process. With all his former colleagues as my new units and friends. Thanks chicken knight!




So yeah...really enjoying this game. Didn't think I would. Too much fun.