Crypt Horror Warhammer 8th edition Vampire Counts Overview
What are Crypts Horrors
In terms of game fluff Crypt Horrors are Ghouls that have been fed upon the blood of a Vampire (essentially giving the Ghoul the Dark Kiss a corruption frowned other by most other Vampires ). Generally this is done by the Strigio Ghoul Kings desperate to create more powerful minions. This makes the Ghouls both physically larger, stronger and tougher though notably not faster (aside from in the movement area).
In the game
As a tough monsterous infantry with a high toughness of 5 a wounds value of 3 and regeneration of 5+ Crypt Horrors are tough to shift. As a special choice with a unit size of 3 and above they will be tough to shift for many troops particularly those with lower strengths (the various Elven armies spring to mind here). They are also ok in attack with 3 strength 4 attacks that are poisonous as well as a Stomp attack. With a reasonable points cost, poison and regenration really make this unit powerful against most others with the possible exception of very heavily armoured troops, they should be able to dish out a reasonable amount of damage whilst soaking up plenty in return.
Pros and Cons
Basically now in 8th edition you are given a choice of 2 monstrous infantry units for Vampire Counts this means you must make the choice between the tougher Crypt Horrors or the more aggressive, faster but easier to kill Vargheists. Of course you could spend the points and have a unit of each. Whether or not you also include a Mortis Engine (increasing the Crypt Horrors regeneration save further) could also play a part in your decision.
Tactical uses
With high toughness and regeneration (which can be further boosted by a nearby Mortis Engine) Crypt Horrors should be able to soak up a lot of damage. This combined with moderate attacks should see them able to win in a war of attrition against low strength troops particularly with use of the Invocation of Nehek spell keeping them topped up. A nearby Corpse Cart can also see them overcome their low initiative though will only likely gives re-rolls against slower opponents. A tough to kill unit which will deal moderate damage, they are however a special choice and with 9 different units in this section the choice can be hard to make.
