Are not WS and BS already the most significant characteristics simply because they determine your ability to take down your enemies? I'm also sceptical about automatic weapon training, giving the inherent differences between the guns. Someone who has only ever fired a flintlock musket should not automatically know how to handle a plasma gun, even if he was an expert with the former.

However, I still like the idea of expanding the range of what WS/BS can do. Does anyone have an idea for the bonuses? Aside from additional damage (which is already governed by talents and Strength), what springs to my mind first would be the ability to replace a single damage die with your WS/BS bonus - kind of like the Proven trait. Not sure whether this may not be too powerful, though, giving that even starting characters "lose" about 1/3 of randomness from the d10. Might be a cool talent later down the road tho.

Yep, I am fine with WS/BS being in game, they tie in all the possible stats you would conceivably use into one place.

More to the point, I like the fact this game handles it differently than other games, we do not need some massive melange of systems where the only difference in the games is the back ground / lore of a given system.

Having tried out different solutions in houseruling a lot, I usually came back to WS/BS as characteristics eventually.

The trouble changing it is not worth the outcome.