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We all know that a SM bikers are equipped with a TL bolter as standard.
But, if we take some special weapons (ie meltaguns or flamers..), we still have the TL Bolter on the bike?

I mean, we'll be able to choose with which weapon shoot or the special weapon will replace totally all others equipment?
This isn't really clear in fact..

For Codex: Space Marines, it should actually be clear that only the bolt pistol is replaced by the special weapon, because the codex entry says so.

Are you finding one of the other variant codices confusing? Or did GW somehow wreck one of the foreign language editions?

It is just a "translation" problem on the Italian codex maybe.
In fact the doubt is on which weapon will be substituted by the special one.

The "user" bolt pistol or the "bike equipment" TL Bolters.

In the case you explained one bikes player (equippes with ie a meltagun) will be able to choose if rapid fire with the TL Bolters or instead use the meltagun depending on the target.

Correct?

In anycase, what the bolt pistol is supposed to do? Isn't redundant on a character that can shoot with any kind of weapon and assault freely due to the special bike's rules?

The pistol is there so you can swap it for the Special weapon!

Gwar! wrote:The pistol is there so you can swap it for the Special weapon!

I assume to be able to choose what to use and not to have just one weapon.

TY

It took me several minutes to figure out any possible use that having both pistols and twin linked bolters on a bike model might have. The best I could figure out would be if you wanted, for some bizarre reason, to fire more than one shot per model but less than two shots per model at 12" (e.g. have a squad of five bikers fire seven shots). Otherwise, it really just comes down to either consistency or randomness in codex writing.

For the bikers who do upgrade, you are correct in thinking that they can choose at your option to use either the twin linked bolters or the upgrade weapon as you find convenient.

I can see a tiny chance that someone would want to fire a strange number of shots - maybe there are 8 models within charge range and the SM player wants to thin them out but leave enough to still get the charge off.

The better question is why do Scout Bikers have Shotguns?

Because the older models (which were in use when the codex was written) had them

GW make models to sell rules, not the other way around.
They are a miniatures company NOT a games company.

The old(possibly Old, Old) Chaos Codex had the Special weapons replace the Twin Linked bolters.The Current One Keeps the Bolters, bolt Pistol, and gets the special weapon(but loses the CCW).

And as said the SM codex says exchange bolt pistol for special weapon.

Firing an odd number of shots can potentially become very relevant when also firing, say, 4 shots of Plasma alongside those shots. Due to the wound allocation rules you can have situations where the more you shoot, the smaller an impact you have on the targeted squad.

If I was firing a dual Plasma bike squad at an enemy marine squad I would consider the plasma guns the "workhorses" of that shooting phase, and the extra boltgun/boltpistol shots as an afterthought.

Therefore I could make sure that my opponent, even if I hit/wounded with all shots, wouldn´t be able to place two plasmashots on a single model thereby diluting the effect of my "workhorse".
Granted this is about the very fine print, the minute details and manipulation of the odds to a very small degree.

I think by single model you mean 'a wound allocation group consisting of only a single model'

I assume my reader have read and understood the wound allocation rules, yes.

There are a ton of people who don't though, so I just wanted to prevent shenanigans. There are wound allocation questions on here quite often and people trying to 'double kill' single models.

I should have mentioned I did not think you did not know the rule for it, I just wanted to be more specific for someone else reading it.

No harm, no foul.

BTW, the amount of posts concerning wound allocation is pushing me further and further towards "Lets Give Up On The Human Race And Let The Cockroaches Have A Shot".