Getting the most out of Warlord Traits!

Nick speaking,

I don't know about you, but I really think I haven't put enough thought into my Warlord traits so far in 6th Edition. I started off just randomly choosing one of the three categories in my first few games, sometimes I got a useful one, but mostly they were doing nothing. From then on, I got it into my mind that Personal Traits were the best ones for me and just stuck to using them! Now that I am more familiar with how 6th is running, I think it's time for me to really assess the Traits to make sure I am getting the most I can out of them!

First, I want to examine all the traits as a whole to find which category is generally the best one to choose. I want to be in a position where if I am pressed for time and need to quickly choose one, I know which category to run with without having to read them all. After that I am going to have a look at the traits from my specific army's point of view (Necrons, Tyranids, Space Wolves and Eldar) to see if I can find a trait category that will suit them even better.

So let's have a look at the traits and see which category is generally best...    

COMMAND TRAITS

1 - Friendly units within 12" of the Warlord can use his leadership
Pretty good unless your army has the same leadership value all round
 
2 - Enemy units within 12" of the Warlord must use their lowest leadership
Could be very useful 

3 - Warlord and all friendly units within 12" have move through cover
Very useful for units that don't have it already

4 - Warlord and all friendly units within 12" roll an extra dice when they run and use the highest
Useful, especially if you have a foot army that needs to move quickly 

5 - Warlord and all friendly units within 12" re-roll ones to hit when shooting units 3" from objectives
Very useful

6 - Warlord and all friendly units within 12" add one to the charge distance result
Could make a difference

Pretty much a 6/6 in usefulness! 

PERSONAL TRAITS

1 - Warlord and his unit have counter attack whilst in their deployment zone
Only good if your Warlord is defensive and stays in your deployment zone
 
2 - Warlord and his unit have furious charge whilst in enemy deployment zone
Only good if your Warlord is active and likes to attack in your enemies deployment zone

3 - Warlord and the unit he joins when deployed have outflank
I wouldn't recommend anyone changing their army tactics last minute for this one  

4 - Your army gains one victory point for each enemy character slain in a challenge
Always good

5 - Warlord and his unit gain feel no pain whilst within 3" of an objective
Always good 

6 - Warlord is a scoring unit even if he is a vehicle
Generally very good when the mission requires scoring units 

An average 3 to 4/6 in usefulness! 

STRATEGIC TRAITS

1 - Your units have move through cover and stealth when using ruins
Could be useful if there are any ruins, of which you can see before you roll your trait 

2 - Can choose to have night fight for the first turn without rolling
Always a good option to have

3 - All flanking units have acute senses whilst your Warlord is alive
Useful, but only if you plan to flank

4 - Can re-roll any reserve rolls whilst your Warlord is alive
Very useful, as most of us will reserve at least one thing

5 - Enemy has a minus one modifier to their reserve roll whilst your Warlord is alive
Very useful, as most of us will reserve at least one thing

6 - Redeploy one unit 3D6" or three units D6" of their current position within deployment zone
Sounds useful, but I am not convinced by it. Could be ok under the right circumstances

A average 3/6, but could be a solid 5/6 depending on circumstances!

So after all that, I was choosing the weakest category out of the three, with Command traits coming out on top, Strategic Traits second and my Personal Traits coming in last. Well, from a general point of view anyway! Next then, I want to have a look at the categories for my specific armies...

 NECRONS


COMMAND TRAITS

1 - Friendly units within 12" of the Warlord can use his leadership
Useless, as everything is leadership ten anyway
 
2 - Enemy units within 12" of the Warlord must use their lowest leadership
Useful 

3 - Warlord and all friendly units within 12" have move through cover
Useful

4 - Warlord and all friendly units within 12" roll an extra dice when they run and use the highest
Useful

5 - Warlord and all friendly units within 12" re-roll ones to hit when shooting units 3" from objectives
Useful

6 - Warlord and all friendly units within 12" add one to the charge distance result
Useful

A nice 5/6 in usefulness! 

PERSONAL TRAITS

1 - Warlord and his unit have counter attack whilst in their deployment zone
Useful, unless my Overlord is in a Command Barge!
 
2 - Warlord and his unit have furious charge whilst in enemy deployment zone
Could be useful if I had a Destroyer Lord with Wraiths charging forward!

3 - Warlord and the unit he joins when deployed have outflank
Maybe, but probably not 

4 - Your army gains one victory point for each enemy character slain in a challenge
Useful

5 - Warlord and his unit gain feel no pain whilst within 3" of an objective
Useful

6 - Warlord is a scoring unit even if he is a vehicle
Useful

An average 4/6 in usefulness! 

STRATEGIC TRAITS

1 - Your units have move through cover and stealth when using ruins
Could be useful if there are any ruins

2 - Can choose to have night fight for the first turn without rolling
Always a good option to have

3 - All flanking units have acute senses whilst your Warlord is alive
Useless, I don't flank

4 - Can re-roll any reserve rolls whilst your Warlord is alive
Useful

5 - Enemy has a minus one modifier to their reserve roll whilst your Warlord is alive
Useful

6 - Redeploy one unit 3D6" or three units D6" of their current position within deployment zone
Sounds useful, but I am not convinced

An average 3/6, but could be 4/6 depending on circumstances!

It is a close one, depending on circumstances, but the Command Traits for Necrons seems to be the best option overall.

TYRANIDS

COMMAND TRAITS

1 - Friendly units within 12" of the Warlord can use his leadership
Useless, as you probably will be within Synapse if you are within 12" anyway
 
2 - Enemy units within 12" of the Warlord must use their lowest leadership
Useful 

3 - Warlord and all friendly units within 12" have move through cover
Useless, as most have it anyway

4 - Warlord and all friendly units within 12" roll an extra dice when they run and use the highest
Most Nids have fleet anyway

5 - Warlord and all friendly units within 12" re-roll ones to hit when shooting units 3" from objectives
Useful

6 - Warlord and all friendly units within 12" add one to the charge distance result
Useful

An average 3/6 in usefulness! 

PERSONAL TRAITS

1 - Warlord and his unit have counter attack whilst in their deployment zone
Maybe, although unlikely
 
2 - Warlord and his unit have furious charge whilst in enemy deployment zone
Furious charge on Nids is always good, unless you've purchased it already

3 - Warlord and the unit he joins when deployed have outflank
Nids no longer flank in protest to 6th edition


4 - Your army gains one victory point for each enemy character slain in a challenge
Useful

5 - Warlord and his unit gain feel no pain whilst within 3" of an objective
Useful

6 - Warlord is a scoring unit even if he is a vehicle
Useful

An solid 4/6 in usefulness! 

STRATEGIC TRAITS

1 - Your units have move through cover and stealth when using ruins
Could be useful if there are any ruins

2 - Can choose to have night fight for the first turn without rolling
Always a good option to have

3 - All flanking units have acute senses whilst your Warlord is alive
Nids no longer flank in protest to 6th edition

4 - Can re-roll any reserve rolls whilst your Warlord is alive
Useful

5 - Enemy has a minus one modifier to their reserve roll whilst your Warlord is alive
Useful

6 - Redeploy one unit 3D6" or three units D6" of their current position within deployment zone
Sounds useful, but I am not convinced

A solid 3/6, but could be 4/6 depending on circumstances!

Again it is close, but my original Personal Traits seem to win for the Nid as the best overall category.

SPACE WOLVES

COMMAND TRAITS

1 - Friendly units within 12" of the Warlord can use his leadership
Useful
 
2 - Enemy units within 12" of the Warlord must use their lowest leadership
Useful 

3 - Warlord and all friendly units within 12" have move through cover
Useful 

4 - Warlord and all friendly units within 12" roll an extra dice when they run and use the highest
Useful

5 - Warlord and all friendly units within 12" re-roll ones to hit when shooting units 3" from objectives
Useful

6 - Warlord and all friendly units within 12" add one to the charge distance result
Useful

An amazing 6/6 in usefulness! 

PERSONAL TRAITS

1 - Warlord and his unit have counter attack whilst in their deployment zone
Useless, I have it anyway
 
2 - Warlord and his unit have furious charge whilst in enemy deployment zone
Could be good for a Thunderwolf based Lord

3 - Warlord and the unit he joins when deployed have outflank
Can't see it myself


4 - Your army gains one victory point for each enemy character slain in a challenge
Useful

5 - Warlord and his unit gain feel no pain whilst within 3" of an objective
Useful

6 - Warlord is a scoring unit even if he is a vehicle
Useful

A solid 4/6 in usefulness! 

STRATEGIC TRAITS

1 - Your units have move through cover and stealth when using ruins
Could be useful if there are any ruins

2 - Can choose to have night fight for the first turn without rolling
Always a good option to have

3 - All flanking units have acute senses whilst your Warlord is alive
Useless, I have it already

4 - Can re-roll any reserve rolls whilst your Warlord is alive
I don't really reserve my Wolves

5 - Enemy has a minus one modifier to their reserve roll whilst your Warlord is alive
Useful

6 - Redeploy one unit 3D6" or three units D6" of their current position within deployment zone
Sounds useful, but I am not convinced

An average 3/6 in usefulness!

It is pretty obvious that Command Traits is the way forward for the Wolves

ELDAR (Saim-Hann)

COMMAND TRAITS

1 - Friendly units within 12" of the Warlord can use his leadership
Useless, as the JetSeer will be pushing forward out of range
 
2 - Enemy units within 12" of the Warlord must use their lowest leadership
Useful 

3 - Warlord and all friendly units within 12" have move through cover
Useful

4 - Warlord and all friendly units within 12" roll an extra dice when they run and use the highest
I won't be running

5 - Warlord and all friendly units within 12" re-roll ones to hit when shooting units 3" from objectives
Useful

6 - Warlord and all friendly units within 12" add one to the charge distance result
I don't charge much with my Saim-Hann

A solid 3/6 in usefulness! 

PERSONAL TRAITS

1 - Warlord and his unit have counter attack whilst in their deployment zone
Useless, The JetSeer will not be hanging back
 
2 - Warlord and his unit have furious charge whilst in enemy deployment zone
Useful

3 - Warlord and the unit he joins when deployed have outflank
Can't see it myself


4 - Your army gains one victory point for each enemy character slain in a challenge
Useful

5 - Warlord and his unit gain feel no pain whilst within 3" of an objective
Useful

6 - Warlord is a scoring unit even if he is a vehicle
Useful

A solid 4/6 in usefulness! 

STRATEGIC TRAITS

1 - Your units have move through cover and stealth when using ruins
Could be useful if there are any ruins

2 - Can choose to have night fight for the first turn without rolling
Always a good option to have

3 - All flanking units have acute senses whilst your Warlord is alive
Useless, I won't be flanking

4 - Can re-roll any reserve rolls whilst your Warlord is alive
Useful

5 - Enemy has a minus one modifier to their reserve roll whilst your Warlord is alive
Useful

6 - Redeploy one unit 3D6" or three units D6" of their current position within deployment zone
Sounds useful, but I am not convinced

An average 3/6 in usefulness!

Nothing here that stand out as amazing, but the Personal Traits seem to have the edge over the others for quantity of usefulness

ELDAR (Footdar)

COMMAND TRAITS

1 - Friendly units within 12" of the Warlord can use his leadership
Useful
 
2 - Enemy units within 12" of the Warlord must use their lowest leadership
Useful 

3 - Warlord and all friendly units within 12" have move through cover
Useful

4 - Warlord and all friendly units within 12" roll an extra dice when they run and use the highest
Useful

5 - Warlord and all friendly units within 12" re-roll ones to hit when shooting units 3" from objectives
Useful

6 - Warlord and all friendly units within 12" add one to the charge distance result
Useful

An amazing 6/6 in usefulness! 

PERSONAL TRAITS

1 - Warlord and his unit have counter attack whilst in their deployment zone
Useful
 
2 - Warlord and his unit have furious charge whilst in enemy deployment zone
I doubt I will be there much

3 - Warlord and the unit he joins when deployed have outflank
Can't see it myself


4 - Your army gains one victory point for each enemy character slain in a challenge
Useful

5 - Warlord and his unit gain feel no pain whilst within 3" of an objective
Useful

6 - Warlord is a scoring unit even if he is a vehicle
Useful

A solid 4/6 in usefulness! 

STRATEGIC TRAITS

1 - Your units have move through cover and stealth when using ruins
Could be useful if there are any ruins

2 - Can choose to have night fight for the first turn without rolling
Always a good option to have

3 - All flanking units have acute senses whilst your Warlord is alive
Useful for the War Walkers

4 - Can re-roll any reserve rolls whilst your Warlord is alive
Useful

5 - Enemy has a minus one modifier to their reserve roll whilst your Warlord is alive
Useful

6 - Redeploy one unit 3D6" or three units D6" of their current position within deployment zone
Sounds useful, but I am not convinced

A solid 4/6 in usefulness!

All three are solid, but the Command Traits win easily.

ELDAR (Mechdar)

COMMAND TRAITS

1 - Friendly units within 12" of the Warlord can use his leadership
Maybe, but only after all the tanks have been destroyed
 
2 - Enemy units within 12" of the Warlord must use their lowest leadership
Useful 

3 - Warlord and all friendly units within 12" have move through cover
Useful

4 - Warlord and all friendly units within 12" roll an extra dice when they run and use the highest
I won't be running much

5 - Warlord and all friendly units within 12" re-roll ones to hit when shooting units 3" from objectives
Useful

6 - Warlord and all friendly units within 12" add one to the charge distance result
Useful

A solid 4/6 in usefulness! 

PERSONAL TRAITS

1 - Warlord and his unit have counter attack whilst in their deployment zone
Useful if my bikes get assaulted
 
2 - Warlord and his unit have furious charge whilst in enemy deployment zone
Unlikely

3 - Warlord and the unit he joins when deployed have outflank
Can't see it myself


4 - Your army gains one victory point for each enemy character slain in a challenge
Useful

5 - Warlord and his unit gain feel no pain whilst within 3" of an objective
Useful

6 - Warlord is a scoring unit even if he is a vehicle
Useful

A solid 4/6 in usefulness! 

STRATEGIC TRAITS

1 - Your units have move through cover and stealth when using ruins
Could be useful if there are any ruins

2 - Can choose to have night fight for the first turn without rolling
Always a good option to have

3 - All flanking units have acute senses whilst your Warlord is alive
I won't be flanking

4 - Can re-roll any reserve rolls whilst your Warlord is alive
Useful

5 - Enemy has a minus one modifier to their reserve roll whilst your Warlord is alive
Useful

6 - Redeploy one unit 3D6" or three units D6" of their current position within deployment zone
Sounds useful, but I am not convinced

An solid 4/6 in usefulness!

So it's neck and neck for my Mechdar, although on the face of it, I think the best traits within the categories for them are the Command Traits.

Right, well that was a lot of work, but I think it was worthwhile. I now have a very clear vision of  what trait tables I will be rolling on for each of my armies. Hopefully I will be giving myself the best chance of getting something useful, without having to think about it when it's time to choose the table at the beginning of a game.

Here is the list of my final conclusions

Necrons: Command Traits

Tyranids: Personal Traits

Space Wolves: Command Traits

Eldar (Saim-Hann): Personal Traits

Eldar (Foot and Mech): Command Traits

So what do you think? Have I missed anything? Is there something about the Strategic Traits I haven't taken into account? Am I going about this the right way? Is it worth planning like this? How do you choose your traits?