At GDC 2016 I was invited to a special hands on preview of the Vampire Counts faction in Total War: WARHAMMER. I honestly didn’t know what to expect having been absent from the PC world for some time. However, being a fan of the original physical version of WARHAMMER game I was curious to see how Total War compared to the tabletop experience.
Creative Assembly presented the Vampire Counts as completely different in comparison to how the other races are played in the Total War games. They will join the previously announced factions: Dwarves, Empire, and Greenskins.
Led by the WARHAMMER veteran Heinrich Kemmler, as well as other characters from the tabletop game, the Vampire Counts have skills that focus on necromancy. This type of “dark magic” can turn the tide of losing battle by allowing you to raise units from the dead such as zombies and skeletons. There is also a unit named Varghulf who is an overpowered beast that works alone on the battle field assisting other units and tearing through enemies.
After the presentation, I was able to play Total War: WARHAMMER for the first time. As a newcomer and dare I say “noob” to the series I began using strategies that I’d learned from the tabletop version of the game. Creative Assembly has paid close attention to accurately represent WARHAMMER while adding a sense of immersion that you can only get on the PC. Zooming in to my Vampire Counts while they attacked, putting a stop to an enemy flank, and using the Heroes and Lords skills to win battles are all great additions to an already awesome game.
Not being a PC player put me at a disadvantage as I died on my fourth battle. However, that will change after Total War: WARHAMMER releases on May 24th on PC. Then I can create the Vampire Count faction that I’ve always wanted but could never afford. Plus I won’t have to paint a bunch of miniatures this way.
