Psykers have been a part of 40k from the very beginning. In Rogue Trader their powers ranged from Ectoplasmic Mist all the way to Mental Blitz. They were then billed as "Dangerous" but it wasn't until 2nd Edition (v2) where they became a dominant force on the 40k tabletop.
Second Edition and the Dark Millennium expansion radically changed the way Psykers played - they went so far as to add a Psychic Phase to the game!
Second Edition and the Dark Millennium expansion radically changed the way Psykers played - they went so far as to add a Psychic Phase to the game!
Psykers selected powers from a set of cards for various armies, and casted them via a special warp deck. This prooved to be a meta-game and one that as many remember fondly as were happy to be rid of it. But whatever side players fall on, all will agree that drawing the Ultimate Force card called for your best poker-face. Second Edition also saw the origin of the modern-day Perils of the Warp with the Daemonic Attack card.
Ultimate Force & Daemonic Attack
Psykers were brought down in power significantly with the introduction of v3.
The entire game was revamped and the modern age of 40k was born. Psychic powers were absorbed back into the flow of the game and toned down significantly. GW has historically let the pendulum of power swing wildly from edition to edition, and for Psykers this was very much the case in v3.
They saw a significant resurgence with the release of v4 and into v5. Certain armies however had no access to Psykers or psychic defence - the latter perhaps more important.
Today, with the new edition before us we have once again seen significant changes to how psychic powers are implemented.
The addition of psychic disciplines and the associated sets of cards shows a greater influence and variety for play. Given the leftover space in the psychic card case, we should expect to see more cards for various armies as new codices are released.
All armies once again have some capacity to nullify psychic powers, but with the reigning in of Psychic Hoods, Psykers have gained back some ground.
The new edition rules by and large have been well constructed and laid-out. The rules for Psychic powers are no exception. They have been tightened up and clarified; bringing a much more concise means of play for everyone.
As with any new set of rules, various questions and misconceptions arise.
The biggest miscinception I have encountered so far is with regard to Psykers embarked in a transport.
Witchfire powers can still be cast at a target providing the transport has a firing point. 40Kv6 - Page 69 - Witchfire section - 2nd Paragraph - last sentence.
Note that other types of powers have restrictions on how they affect other units.
In conclusion, Psykers will continue to play an important role in the new edition. Many generals will rely on them to win the day, but must remember that powers which affect their opponent's units are now even less likely to succeed.
Such is the fickle nature of the warp.
The entire game was revamped and the modern age of 40k was born. Psychic powers were absorbed back into the flow of the game and toned down significantly. GW has historically let the pendulum of power swing wildly from edition to edition, and for Psykers this was very much the case in v3.
They saw a significant resurgence with the release of v4 and into v5. Certain armies however had no access to Psykers or psychic defence - the latter perhaps more important.
Today, with the new edition before us we have once again seen significant changes to how psychic powers are implemented.
The addition of psychic disciplines and the associated sets of cards shows a greater influence and variety for play. Given the leftover space in the psychic card case, we should expect to see more cards for various armies as new codices are released.
All armies once again have some capacity to nullify psychic powers, but with the reigning in of Psychic Hoods, Psykers have gained back some ground.
The new edition rules by and large have been well constructed and laid-out. The rules for Psychic powers are no exception. They have been tightened up and clarified; bringing a much more concise means of play for everyone.
As with any new set of rules, various questions and misconceptions arise.
The biggest miscinception I have encountered so far is with regard to Psykers embarked in a transport.
Witchfire powers can still be cast at a target providing the transport has a firing point. 40Kv6 - Page 69 - Witchfire section - 2nd Paragraph - last sentence.
Note that other types of powers have restrictions on how they affect other units.
In conclusion, Psykers will continue to play an important role in the new edition. Many generals will rely on them to win the day, but must remember that powers which affect their opponent's units are now even less likely to succeed.
Such is the fickle nature of the warp.
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