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So, when I make my lists, I tend to fall into the same category as most, CCS or bust, more or less.

In an effort to try out new things, I was just curious of everyone's take on other HQ choices, how they've used them and to what effectiveness.

It's just so damn hard to break from the 5 dudes habit haha

I often use psykers to cut down hordes.

This should go in the tactics section.

The CCS is good because it gives you advisors. If you don't want advisors, there is definitely less purpose to taking them, unless you want another special weapons boat (which they're good at, being BS4 and always within range of BiD and FoMT).

The LC is good because it's friggin cheap and throws around Ld10. It's also good for units that you want to keep on the table that can't get commissars of their own (like heavy weapons squads, conscripts, ogryn, etc.) Otherwise, there isn't a lot of purpose to it.

The Psyker is good because it's also friggin cheap and basically lets you throw the rough equivalent of a couple of plasma guns into any squad of your choosing. Rolling really well, a psyker can down any MC with a single round of shooting. The problem, though, is that if it rolls poorly, you've basically spent a lot of points on a single lasgunner. That and certain armies are basically immune to enemy psychic powers.

People go for CCSs when they want the best, and the other options when they want the cheap.

For the reasons Ailaros already gave, I would say one HQ should almost always be a CCS. After that, I can make a case for any other HQ. Even if you issue no orders, you still have the most versatile squad in the IG codex. The ability to take four special weapons is prized. The standard is pretty awesome, especially in a list that doesn't accommodate for taking commissars (like mech vets). There is really no drawback to taking them.

Lord Commissar is pretty awesome because he gives synergy to the CCS for the purposes of orders on HWS. Nothing like having your HWS finally get reliable orders. The only other way to do this I'm aware of is Creed/Kell, which ends up being a lot more expensive, though you do get some more with that.

The Psyker is very limited. Honestly, I'm not impressed with his attack. I have enough S6 and better, and the list of armies I'm aware of that has no psychic protection is small: Necrons, CSM, Orks, Tau. Apologies if I left someone out. As we should all know by now, you average 7 on 2d6, which means that he's slighly better than three chimeras firing multilasers, provided that you roll average or better. I realize that's comparing apples and oranges, but that's about the closest point of comparison I can think of. I still think the best reason to have one is the Force Weapon, but he has to survive long enough to actually use it. Nightshield is very "meh", just because typically everything else has eights or nines for LD anyway.

As much as I REALLY like the idea of having a Lord Commissar strolling about the ranks fearlessly enforcing The Emperor's divine will, or a Primaris Psyker on the edge of sanity using the warp against the enemies of The Imperium.........In my limited experience I've found that all things being equal the CCS is just better.

The CCS is actually shockingly cheap for what you get. It's also a unit that can be thrown away as a suicide unit. If you haven't run a valkyrie with quad melta CCS yet... you haven't really enjoyed playing IG.

I can make a case for the Psyker, but I'm a lawyer and I can make a case for anything. He's good enough to be worth taking, but not really good enough to be worth taking over a CCS.

As for the LC... what a pity. He makes squads more likely to pass orders, when instead you could take another CCS and have more orders. He makes Heavy Weapon squads less likely to run away, but the CCS can take a standard to do the same. If the LC were a lot cheaper, I'd listen. At the same cost as a heavy weapon squad, he simply doesn't add very much, either as a support unit or as a HtH unit.

The Psyker is like a baby Hydra Flak, when joined to a Melta Vet squad. Also he gives you very good light vehicle/MC busting ability at a range.

I've mainly only used him against Nids, but he paid for himself and then some.

I find the Lord Commissar to be quite usefull in smaller battles when you don't want to spend the points on the CCS, or when you want to make sure that your mech vet unit has a good strong leadership (and a powerfist with that many attacks never hurts).