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WHY?
I just can't get my head around this pointless wargear option. Bikes are relentless, so can fire Rapid Fire then charge so no use for Bolt Pistols there. And don't even get me started on chainswords (The coolest weapon in 40K an it does absolutely nothing in game terms!!).
Why on earth would a biker need a chainsword?
Raaah, nerd rage!

Flavour I guess. I doubt you're paying for it so just ignore it.

Didn't the wording on some of the upgrades require you to have one of them to make the swap?

Could be mistaken but I thought they FAQ'd it to allow upgrades.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Though I agree that the Chainsword should do something. Shred would be nice.

Because consistency with equipment on space marines?

Also refer to Star Wars speeder bike chase where they were side by side and the trooper shot at Luke with his pistol.

Realism.

Some of their upgrades can only be taken by switching out a chainsword for them. They have the option to take a sword so they can have the other options.

And I'm pretty sure the squad has access to options that require the sacrifice of the pistol.

Yup, it's so that the Biker has a weapon to exchange for something like a meltagun if they want, as the TL bolter is an integral part of the Bike wargear.

Back in 2nd edition, Bikes were vehicles and riders could dismount and run around with their pistol. And chainswords had rules that actually made them better than a pointy stick in close combat.

3rd edition rolled around, and the rules changed... but the models came standard with a bunch of gear that was suddenly completely useless. So GW left those useless options in there so that the models would remain WYSIWYG.

It seems to have just stuck from then on.

The bolt pistol and chainsword give an extra attack in cc? so you could have 5 hammer of wrath attacks then something like 15 I4 attacks in CC, which is pretty powerful for a five man bike squad with no other upgrades.

sLeEpYrOcK wrote:
The bolt pistol and chainsword give an extra attack in cc? so you could have 5 hammer of wrath attacks then something like 15 I4 attacks in CC, which is pretty powerful for a five man bike squad with no other upgrades.

They don't have both, just one or the other.

So they dont have 2 cc weapons at any given time? or maybe its just the rule of cool

 insaniak wrote:
Back in 2nd edition, Bikes were vehicles and riders could dismount and run around with their pistol. And chainswords had rules that actually made them better than a pointy stick in close combat.

3rd edition rolled around, and the rules changed... but the models came standard with a bunch of gear that was suddenly completely useless. So GW left those useless options in there so that the models would remain WYSIWYG.

It seems to have just stuck from then on.

Exactly.

I shoot bolt pistols when I'm worried I might kill too much and not make it into an assault.

This question made me realize that Space Marine Bikes can't have Special Weapons RAW. To take a meltagun, a model must replace its CCW or Boltgun, which the bikes don't have. Yay for broken rules!

Ain't bolt pistols ccw?

Not only they're fluffy - cause even tank crew have personal weapons - they also please rule lawhers cause your bikers can now legally take meltaguns instead of bolt pistols.

 koooaei wrote:
Ain't bolt pistols ccw?

No. They can just be used as one.

It looks cool to have the rider waving a chainsword or pistol.

 aka_mythos wrote:
I shoot bolt pistols when I'm worried I might kill too much and not make it into an assault.

that's a fair point and just about the only viable use that i can think of for them in game terms. Bikes ain't great in assault tho.
That just leaves chainswords. They should have at least AP6 seeing as a chainaxe gets AP4!
Raaaaah! More nerd rage!

 SharkoutofWata wrote:
This question made me realize that Space Marine Bikes can't have Special Weapons RAW. To take a meltagun, a model must replace its CCW or Boltgun, which the bikes don't have. Yay for broken rules!

They FAQed them the option to take a chainsword to fix this

Because sometimes you want to pull up next to a guy in traffic, wait for him to look over at you, and then shoot him in the face with a .75-caliber armor piercing mass-reactive explosive shell.

And you can't do that with the bike-mounted bolter.

Well, it gives your bikes the extra attack in CC for having the extra CC weapon I guess. Should they get based for any reason, they won't be totally useless.

Edit: Never mind, I read up on the other responses. I guess you just get one or the other? No idea then. Pretty pointless to me. Strange too, seeing as how Ork Warbikers still have both their CC weapons even while on the bike.

ok nerdrage on bikers is done now, thanks guys. after reading this;

 Vaktathi wrote:
Yup, it's so that the Biker has a weapon to exchange for something like a meltagun if they want, as the TL bolter is an integral part of the Bike wargear.

i then read my codex and all is clear. it's a rules thing.

I am still raging about chainswords tho...

This is a thing again, only now the weirdness is that taking the chainsword is blatantly an upgrade. The pistol give you 1 s4 ap0 shot on your turn, when you're already engaged, if you're charging you use your twinbolters instead.
The chainsword is 1 extra attack, on both turns, works when you charge, not only do you get your s4 AP-1 attack, your other melee attacks get the AP-1, 2 if you charged OR got charged. They either shouldn't get the bolt pistols at all, have both, or one of the two should be a 1 point upgrade.

 Fellwing wrote:
WHY?
I just can't get my head around this pointless wargear option. Bikes are relentless, so can fire Rapid Fire then charge so no use for Bolt Pistols there. And don't even get me started on chainswords (The coolest weapon in 40K an it does absolutely nothing in game terms!!).
Why on earth would a biker need a chainsword?
Raaah, nerd rage!

Because they're cavalry stand-ins and 40k is one big anachronism.
Replace the bike with a horse and the chainsword with a sabre and you'll get why GW wants space marine bikers to charge.

Oh wow I just realized this thread is 8 years old. That's some good necromancy.

 Fellwing wrote:
WHY?
I just can't get my head around this pointless wargear option. Bikes are relentless, so can fire Rapid Fire then charge so no use for Bolt Pistols there. And don't even get me started on chainswords (The coolest weapon in 40K an it does absolutely nothing in game terms!!).
Why on earth would a biker need a chainsword?
Raaah, nerd rage!

They have the bolt pistol for the shooting phase while locked.

They have the chainsword for bonus and better attacks in melee.

I'm still struggling to understand how they aim the guns on the front at all, or how a medic can return a destroyed bike to full fighting capacity.

Please do not commit acts of thread necromancy, locking now.