With
the crisp smell of our new 6th Edition rulebooks fresh in our
olfactory receptors the internet punditry is in full swing churning out
observations, advice and apocalyptic predictions. Amidst the din of
lamentations and gnashing of teeth about the new found dominance of flyers,
skyfire, flakk missiles and interceptors a small number of astute individuals
are preparing for what will be the true nightmare of 6th Edition –
Psykers. Psychic defenses, except in the case of Wolves and Eldar, have been
significantly diminished across the board. Psychic Hoods no longer affect huge
portions of the battlefield and they have no ability to block ‘defensive’
powers (blessings) cast on enemy units. Short of an enemy psyker failing their leadership
test the ability to reliably interdict enemy psychic powers is almost
nonexistent in many armies, sure you can still roll a 6+ ‘Deny the Witch!’ but
I would hardly refer to that as ‘reliable’. While the current status of
‘Psychic Defense’ in 6th Edition can be batted around until we are all
blue in the face, what I choose to focus on is the other 80% of armies who just
got a huge boost from psykers.