CORE

Skeleton Warriors (TK) (Yellow): These Skeleton Warriors are cheaper than
Vampire Count Skeletons but more expensive than Zombies. If you need
Skeleton Warriors, but dont need spears or a magic banner, then these
Skeletons are the way to go. But because you have to pay extra for light
armor and spears and the lack of a magic banner, they are often a subpar
choice when compared to Skeleton Warriors from the Vampire Counts.
When using these Skeleton Warriors forgo the extras and take advantage of
their lower point value to use them exclusively as tarpits. This means
deploying them 5 wide and very deep, around 8-10 ranks. Accompanied by a
Vampire Lord the tarpit is transformed into a cheap but strong fighting
regiment which is great at breaking the enemys steadfast units. Remember,
any tarpit tactics that VC Skeletons or Zombies can do, TK Skeleton
Warriors can do just as well, including the dreaded Wraith Wall where you
fill the front rank with ethereal characters (Wraiths and Banshees),
negating most units ability to fight back. Since they are cheaper, you are
essentially getting the same result for less points.
Skeletons Archers (Green): Skeleton Archers give our army a decent
shooting attack. Because they are cheap enough and their points come out
of core, sometimes they are worth replacing our normal Skeleton Warriors.
Since they always hit on 5+ they are fairly reliable too. Arrows of Asaph
provides a wider range of tactical options, allowing Skeleton Archers to
move, shoot at enemy behind cover or swift reform, and not have it affect
their chances to hit. Because of this, you always want to upgrade them with
a Musician. Just remember, being Undead means they cannot stand and
shoot. But perhaps the most difficult decision when using Skeleton Archers
is whether to field them as one large block of archers or several smaller
units. The larger block can easily fulfill a dual role as both archers and a
bus or tarpit. Its also easier to cast augment spells on a single unit too. The
smaller units put less eggs in one basket and allow the Skeleton Archers to
shoot at either the same or multiple targets while deploying in different
positions, covering the battlefield with more flexibility. When deployed this
way, Skeleton Archers lose their tar pit function, becoming more of a
redirector or chaff unit, should they become engaged. In either case,
Skeleton Archers make great bunkers for our Wizards, providing both cover
and a way to deal damage to the enemy while keeping our Wizards safe. A
long row of archers allows the wizard to move to any position within the
front rank, giving them a sizable range of movement and still have the
safety of the bunker. If your army is using lots of wizard bunkers or skeleton
infantry, Skeleton Archers are an efficient and multi-functional choice and
should be considered Blue. With High Queen Khalida, a large block of
Skeleton Archers should be considered Purple.

Skeleton Horsemen (Green): On their own, Skeleton Horsemen are a poor

choice, but dont dismiss them so quickly. First, they come out of your core,
so unlike Black Knights they dont compete with your Special choices.
Second, they are about half the points of a fully equipped Black Knight and
though Black Knights have better armor and are Toughness 4, Skeletal
Horsemen give you more Wounds and overall body count, thus they provide
great cover for your mounted vampires, necromancers and liches. Third, the
Skeletal Horsemen have Vanguard, and although characters without
Vanguard joining them prevent Skeleton Horsemen from using it, Vanguard
still provides deployment tricks and extra movement, especially if youre
using multiple units and hopping your mounted characters between them.
Vanguard also gives your Skeleton Horsemen a double role of both
redirector/chaff and bus for your mounted blenders, and that tactical
flexibility is useful. Whether you give them Light Armor really depends on
your local scene, and if you face a lot of low strength shooting or melee, its
useful. But either way, Skeleton Horsemen give you inexpensive, fast
moving cavalry buses that either replace or support your Black Knights and
provide bunkers for your mounted characters, which isnt a poor choice at
all.
Skeleton Horse Archers (Blue): Hands down, Skeleton Horse Archers are
the Kings of Chaff. Like Dire Wolves, they come from our core, but as Fast
Cavalry and Scouts they are much more effective at harassing and
redirecting than Dire Wolves can be. With Arrows of Asaph, they can clear
out enemy chaff or other light targets. Just a couple of units can threaten
your opponents backfield early game, forcing them to react defensively to
avoid their warmachines and other support units being taken out. With the
option to take full command, Skeleton Horse Archers provide decent
flanking support, can do a lot of the same tricks as Dire Wolves and even
contribute to the victory conditions of Blood and Glory. Being Scouts, they
can counter deploy against enemy vanguard and scouts, blocking off those
units from moving into a desired position early game and march block key
enemy units. Skeleton Horse Archers even can act as support units in
Cavalry heavy armies, giving your mounted blenders a leap pad to move to
another unit or they can be used as mini-bunkers for your mounted wizards.
This unit is really that versatile.
Skeleton Chariots (Green): Hordes of Skeleton Chariots are an awe
inspiring sight to behold. So much so, most opponents are compelled to
focus fire on them, and when they do your Skeleton Chariots will die. But
this isnt bad at all, as your chariots are a real threat. They have impact
hits, Arrows of Asaph, multiple Attacks and Wounds and are easy to keep
alive and buffed up with either Lore of Vampires or Lore of Nehekhara. One
of your Skeleton Chariot units can even take a magical banner. Just a single

unit of 3 chariots with a Banner of Eternal Flame has 3d6 S4 Flaming

Impact Hits. Thats some decent damage and could take out an enemys
Regeneration before the fighting even starts, which should frighten even
the nastiest Hell Pit Abomination. Skeleton Chariots also automatically
boost target saturation, drawing attention from other threats in your army
such as Terrorgheists, Hexwraiths or anything Vampiric you have running
around. As an added bonus, although Vampire Count characters mounted on
chariots (such as the Coven Throne or Corpse Cart) cannot join them, they
can still claim look out sir if within 3 of a Skeleton Chariot unit. Best of all,
Skeleton Chariots not only do all of this but they are only core!