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Hi, I'm sorry if this has been asked previously but I wonder if Melta weapons are considered "high-tech and rare" or is it pretty much a standard weapon in the Imperial Guard?

Well, I don't remember them being mentioned in the IG omnibus. Compared with plasmaguns, I think they're somewhat more common, though I can't site anything concrete to back that up. Lexicanum only specifically mentions Inferno Pistols as being the only particularly rare Imperial variant.

I'd imagine they'd be considered specialist weapons, rather that particularly valuable ones, given to squads who required them most in their line of duty.

I think meltas are more prominent amongst marines. they're only real limitation is their short range. Marines can be safe at close enough distances to do damage while with guardsmen it can be a challenge getting that close.

Right, because I'm starting to write the background for my Imperial Guard army and I don't know if it would work with the fluff to give them Melta weapons.

Think ww1/medieval style IG, a bit like the Genswick.

Oh now while I'm posting I may as well ask this, if I were to publish the fluff on this site, would it be on the fan fiction part of the forum or here?

I have no idea why i said that... completly off-topic.
Meltaguns are specialised assault and tank-busting weapons so they would only be seen in assaulting elements og IG. Usually anyway.

Meltaguns aren't particularly high tech. Yes, they require more thought and care than flamers, but in the end a meltagun still uses the same fuel source, and is still basically a flamer. The only difference is that regular flamers spew flaming fuel on stuff while meltaguns are more efficient, converting ALL of the fuel into heat. Basically like the universe's most wicked easy bake oven.

As for fluff, there's no more difficulty including them in than including in grenade launchers or flamers. They're special guns that are given to special troops to engage in special roles.

My army has a fair amount of melta (though not nearly as much as in the past), and it's all held by officers. The idea is that officers are the only people the army trusts with its more expensive firearms, and so the only guardsmen who get to carry them are ones that are in either dedicated assault squads, or are within very close watch of an officer (such as in his retinue).

Plus, giving officers the best assault weapons helps ensure that they're right up there in the thick of it, fighting with their men. It also helps ensure the men's loyalty to the officers, because without them, the infantry is MUCH more vulnerable to monstrous creatures and enemy vehicles.

For a genswick type army, they would probably have more access to low tech weapons like flamers and grenade launchers, but melta wouldn't be out of their reach. Plasma on the other hand would probably be rare for them if you are going for the "space world war 1" angle.

D-man wrote:Right, because I'm starting to write the background for my Imperial Guard army and I don't know if it would work with the fluff to give them Melta weapons.

Think ww1/medieval style IG, a bit like the Genswick.

Well, one thing to keep in mind is that almost everyone in the Imperium has a poor understanding of the technology they use. Most equipment is replicated and operated according to ritualized procedures, rather than true understanding. A lower-tech WWI period Imperial Guard army has simply fallen a bit further than some other regiments, but not as far as others. The older editions of the guard codex even feature IG in Incan/Mayan costume (kind of) and even naked, woad-covered warriors, each equipped with lasguns.

Furthermore, regardless of your Regiment's level of technological development, they are going to be transported to war on Imperial Navy ships using the same level of advanced technology as everybody else, so I wouldn't worry about it over-much. Melta weapons may be rare in your regiment if they cannot be produced on their home worlds or systems, and have to be imported from elsewhere, but I can't think of any reason they (or plasma weapons) would be impossible to attain.

If you want to avoid using meltas as 'too high tech' you can still include them in your army, just model them as something different.

As a World War I style army, you could have certain troops equipped with 'sticky bomb' launchers or something that have the same effect as meltas, but could potentially fit the theme better.

HOwever, as the others have said there's no problem giving them melta guns in any case. The Imperium's tech level is actually pretty steady on most worlds, and it's only certain worlds that have unusally primitive or advanced technology....which is why we hear about them the most. It's more fun to read stories about growing in the jungles of Catachan, where living to 10 is a major accomplishm ent, or marvelling at the vast forges of Ryza, churning out mysterious plasma weaponry for the Imperium.

It's kinda boring to read about a generic civilized world that's feeding itself ok, producing some Chimeras and Leman Russes for the local Guard, and that's it. As such, we don't hear about the vast majority of Imperial world...only those on either end of the bell curve.

D-man wrote:Hi, I'm sorry if this has been asked previously but I wonder if Melta weapons are considered "high-tech and rare" or is it pretty much a standard weapon in the Imperial Guard?

Um. No. Heck No.

ChrisWWII wrote:you could have certain troops equipped with 'sticky bomb' launchers or something

Yeah, or this.

I very seriously considered making my plasma guns some sort of counts-as (like an uber-grenade launcher, or something), before I decided to make them "regular" plasma guns using necron glow rods.

Okay, thank's for explaining it to me.
Got to think about making an army list then, to see if I could or should include some meltas.

d-man