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Are there any good points to them?  I mean...they seem too horribly underpowered to be useful, but I was wondering if anybody had tips.  I'm a fan of the shotgun in real life, and was wanting to use them in the game as well.

The only model I can justify (tactically) using shotguns is on IG Veterans. Deep Striking, disembarking or infiltrating Vets that will to shoot before they get shot at.

I only play Space Marines. It seems to me that they could be handy against high-initiative enemies such as tyranids or eldar. I doubt I'll ever find out, though, as I don't have any shotgun scouts, and don't plan to buy any.

I've found them fairly useful against Daemons, sometimes Eldar (Guardians), and definitely against other Guardsmen. I've never tried them out against Tau, but I imagine they'd be a nice way to whittle a fire warrior squad before charging it. On marine scouts, you're probably better off with bolters, but Guard squads that might infiltraite could use them.

-Adso

They're good, as long as they are loaded with small ninja stars and carried by pointy-helmed xenos scum...

I found that shotguns are quite effective when you load ten Scouts w/ shotguns into a drop pod.
Then drop them within a few inches of the enemy, unloading twenty shells into them. After that charging into CC. I also equipped my scouts w/ knives to give them a better chance in CC.

That workes really well against most armies, but the Eldar, SM and Chaos are a different story.

Meh, I'd rather have the S4 AP5 from RF boltgun myself, but to each his own.

The only problem overlord is that models drop podding in can't assault. Its in the psace marine dex under the pod rules. So the bolters look much more appealing for the extra damage since that close you're more than likely to get savaged while you stand there waiting in 4+ armour.

Behold!  New Mk. XCVIII shotgun for newly raised Imperial Guard Regiments:



Never waste your time on a silly, useless weapon.  Give your scouts proper bolters, for Emperor's sake!  Shotguns are even more useless in the BS 3, T3, Sv 5+ hands of a guardsman, even if it is a BS 4 veteran.

Scouts should have bolters, but I think its debatable whether to give them to guard vets. The fact is they allow a unit of vets that infiltrates and has 3 assault weapons to charge after a healthy turn of shooting. Combine thise with a vet serg and power fist and dare I say a commissar with a fist then you've got a very mean assault unit which is only outmatched by ogryns.

Posted By WarsmithDave on 02/07/2007 11:59 PM
Scouts should have bolters, but I think its debatable whether to give them to guard vets. The fact is they allow a unit of vets that infiltrates and has 3 assault weapons to charge after a healthy turn of shooting. Combine thise with a vet serg and power fist and dare I say a commissar with a fist then you've got a very mean assault unit which is only outmatched by ogryns.

If you are assaulting with guardsmen, any guardsmen, you have lost, because you let them get too close.   

I don't use ogryns.  You should never give an abhuman a gun.  You begging for trouble?

as a marine player i cannot argue that shotguns are more effective than bolters, but they are much more fun...

things you can expect from using shotguns:
opponents laughter
opponents ignoring models
perfectly good waste of marine training
not killing much
free shotgun bits from friends

and, if lucky enough to kill something= "nyah, nyah...you got killed by a shotgun" type of mocking

for those brave enough to do it, think about these units i've tooled / put a healthy dose of shotgun respect too:

10 banshees + exarch
tau stealthsuits
harlequins
and once a wraithguard unit, yes wraithguard

what i use: 5 shotgusn (vet sgt w/ power weapon + combat shield