6th Impressions: Warlord Traits/Psychic Powers - Update 7/23

Two of the bigger points of contention I've seen/heard about right now are Warlord Traits and Psychic Powers. After Wound Allocation (which I'm still formulating an opinion on) these seem to crop up the most in lists of complaints. I thought I'd take a moment to describe where I believe GW will be taking these and why they're awesome.

First off, with the Warlord Traits, you're receiving a bonus you otherwise would not have gotten. So, roll a crappy one? Oh well, it was free. With Psychic Powers, you can take the ones in your codex if you aren't comfortable gambling on the ones in the rulebook. But let's stop and think here. We're still permitted the use of codex specific powers, and we're given access to powers in the rulebook as well. I see this as a big hint at what's to come.

Current rumors have Chaos Space Marines up on deck for a new codex right now. With the way Psychic Powers have changed, I'll bet we'll see 3 new random charts in the Chaos Codex. One for each dark god, excluding Khorne, of course. You'll be able to pick from a chart in the book and roll powers specific to the style of play you use within your own faction. Playing Nurgle? Roll your Nurgle Sorcerer's powers on Nugle's chart and get powers pertinent to your army. Want to play some Chaos Pirates or a more generic army, then draw on the powers available in the rulebook.

But why stop there? What about Warlord Traits? I bet we'll see charts for those in new codexes as well. You could see traits that suit your style of command, or you could take the more generic offerings in the rulebook, should you want those. This is a very viable means of adding flavor back into armies like Night Lords and Iron Warriors.

As a Vanilla Marine player, I can't wait to see where this takes us! You could have Psychic Powers that are specific to your chosen chapter, and Warlord Traits that are in line with the way your chapter fights. I look forward to pulling my Imperial Fists Captain's Traits from a Siege Master traits table. So you see, not all of this is as plain as it initially seems. I think GW has some real plans here. And while all of this is speculation, it certainly falls into line with the way things have been done as of late. Here's hoping it's what we see :)


Edit: It would seem that the newest rumors, along with the mention of codex-based Warlord Trait tables on pg 111, have proven me right. Well, as near as rumors can. You can find mention of them here.