In the 'Golden Era' of 2000–2007, the Vampire Counts were an apex predator with strong Magic and Fear mechanics. While other editions added power-creep and few real improvements, the 6th Edition is a balanced ruleset where the Undead shine. This page consolidates every rule fragment for the Vampire Counts released during the 6th edition lifecycle.
To play them in 2026 you need three things:
The rules: Core rules + faction-specific rules (physical if you are lucky, a good PDF version if you are not).
The Miniatures to represent the warriors (as close as possible).
An army list to organize your forces.
And dice and measuring tape, and a table, and a 1-3h. And an opponent!
Note: The "Rules Engine" and "Digital Repository" are fully operational. The "Miniatures Equivalency" section below is an Active Restoration. We are currently mapping the 2026 'The Old World' and 'Age of Sigmar' catalogs to the classic 6th Edition profiles. If you have verified proxies or high-fidelity conversions, please contribute your findings to the archive below.
The Mechanical Evolution of the Vampire Counts Rules in 6th Edition
The Vampire Counts got their Armybook in mid 2004, .
The Ravening Hordes Era (2000–2002): Released at the launch of 6th Edition to provide immediate balance. This list was replaced a year later.
Warhammer Armies: Vampire Counts (6th Edition) (2004): It contains the fluff, the magic and the main rules of the army. It also contains the Vampiric Clans alternative army lists, and the Necromancer list.
Army of Sylvania (SoC, 2004): powerfull army list with the Drakenhof Templars and a mechanical graveyard tokens that generate undead allies every turn, published for the Storm of Chaos campaign, but widely accepted in tournaments after the campaign.
White-Dwarf articles (2005): containst the rules for special characters Sethep, the Merciless and Konrad von Carstein, as well as the Vampire Coast (WD#306-UK) and Army of the Lichemaster (WD#309-UK)
Old website of Games-Workshop (UK): contains the rules of experimental special characters: Melkhior and Neferata.
1. Technical Documentation: Sourcing Vampire Counts Rules
You will need the general rules and the faction-specific rules. While physical copies are the preferred historical standard, digital consolidation is the practical standard for local campaigns and competitive events
Unless you can grab a physical copy of the Core Rulebook (BRB), you will probably use either a PDF or the Digital Rulebook (6th.whfb.app)
Nothing beats the feeling of an old physical book, but being practical... the Rulebook must be consulted constantly, and a digital search is faster (and does not damage your physical relics!).
This website is just awesome, and for the Vampire Counts it already includes:
The Basic Rulebook (BRB): All core movement and combat logic.
The Vampire Counts Book: The primary updated faction roster.
Official Errata & FAQs: Pre-applied logic for rule clarifications.
Base Size Index: Essential for converting modern models back to the 6th Edition standard.
Alternative army lists: Army of Sylvania (SoC).
It does NOT contain:
Special units from scenarios and campaigns.
Annual and Chronicles experimental units and characters.
White-Dwarf experimental units and characters.
GW's website units and characters (like Melkhior or Neferata).
Experimental lists.
Ravening Hordes' lists.
Alternative army lists: Appendix, Vampire Coast, Army of the Cairns (Army of the Lichemaster).
For the official rules, the website is the most usefull tool you will need, specially DURING the games.
Beware they may have some typos due to the OCR scans of the original documents. Still awesome.
2. The miniatures: how to build an army of Vampire Counts
Almost the entire range of the Vampire Counts is available through Age of Sigmar (AoS), divided between three factions:
Soulblight Gravelords
Flesh-Eater Courts
Nighthaunt
[This section is being updated for complete equivalency]
3. The modern Army Builder: The New Recruit Engine
Karak Norn Wargaming uses, supports and recommends the use of NewRecruit for several reasons:
It's cloud-based, so you don't need to install it (just configure it),
it can run in the browser!You can sync army lists bewteen devices (requires a free account)
Mobile-friendly (but in tablet/PC the experience is better)
The most important thing: IT IS THE MOST COMPLETE ARMY LIST BUILDER FOR 6TH.
Contents of the Army Builder:
The data files contain all the official and experimental rules ever published in supplements, the old GW website or magazines (White-Dwarf, Troll, Citadel Journal...), as well as the FAQ, Direwolf interpretations and the Norn Consensus resolutions for edge cases.
Alternative army lists:
Clan Von Carstein (VC-AB, p.78)
Clan Lahmia (VC-AB, p.79)
Clan Strigoi (VC-AB, p.79)
Clan Blood Dragons (VC-AB, p.79)
Necromancer's Army (VC-AB, p.78)
Clan Necrarch (VC-AB, p.78)
- Army of Sylvania (TdC, p.88-89)
- Vampire Coast (WD#306-UK)
Army of the Lichemaster (WD#309-UK)
Special Characters and units:
Konrad von Carstein (WD#258-UK, p.91)
Lahmian Swines (Heroes from other armies)
Sylvanian Militia (SoC, p.89)
Sylvanian Levy (SoC, p.89)
Drakenhof Guard and Templars (SoC, p.89)
Vlad & Isabella von Carstein (AN-02, p.61)
Heinrich Kemmler, the Lichemaster (WD#309-UK)
Krell, King of Wights (WD#309-UK)
Sethep, the Merciless (WD#258, p.89)
Zacharias, the Everliving (VC-AB, p.72-73)
Manfred von Carstein (VC-AB, p.70-71)
Web-Exclusive Characters: (Restored from the original GW website):
Heinrich Kemmler, the Lichemaster (webGW-UK)
Krell, King of Wights (webGW-UK)
Melkhior the Ancient (webGW-US)
Neferata, the Queen of Mysteries (webGW-US)
Set up the Army Builder
This is how you configure the tool to organize your Undead armies without flipping through five different PDFs.
 |
| Click in the image to install the repo in NewRecruit |
Bibliography
"Ravening Hordes", (2000)
"Warhammer Armies: Vampire Counts (6th Edition)" (by Alessio Cavatore, Apr. 2001)
"Storm of Chaos" (by Gav Thorpe, 2004)
