Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Was looking for some old figures and found some Space Marines with Shuriken Catapults. I like the figures but really at a lose of what to do with them because I want to use them just because they are cool and rare and want to put them in some type of army. Any suggestions?

Sternguard maybe? Xenotech weaponry and all. Or use them as something suitably unpleasant in an Eldar Army, but I dunno much about Eldar...

Just use them as bolters; old models have kind of muddy details and most people won't know. I have a guy or two with shuriken pistols and hand flamers, and I just use them as whatever with no questions asked.

They'll also look only vaguely like current shuriken catapults so nobody will really notice (original shuricats had flat drum magazines on top - like an AR-180, current ones use a stick below).

thesilverback wrote:Was looking for some old figures and found some Space Marines with Shuriken Catapults. I like the figures but really at a lose of what to do with them because I want to use them just because they are cool and rare and want to put them in some type of army. Any suggestions?

you have any pics of these guys?

There's one here:

You dont need to represent basic wargear options - so those dudes with shuris can be played as bolters if they are tacticals, for example, or as sternguard if theyve got enough bling, or as assaults without jumppacks, etc etc.

I agree that you should be fine mixing them in with regular bolter dudes in a tac squad. If you have a bunch of them, using them as non-combi-weapon Sternguard could also be a cool choice.

What is (was?) the canonical reason why they have shuriken catapults?

GalacticDefender wrote:What is (was?) the canonical reason why they have shuriken catapults?

It was before such weapons were typified as "Eldar", back when IG & SM's also had jetbikes, Harlequins could take Land Raiders, and World Eaters Chaos Champions could walk around wielding Graviton cannons and Jokaero weapons.

GalacticDefender wrote:What is (was?) the canonical reason why they have shuriken catapults?

You should go read a copy of Rogue Trader. The universe was more interesting 20 years ago.

Trying to find one is next to impossible.

Vaktathi wrote:

GalacticDefender wrote:What is (was?) the canonical reason why they have shuriken catapults?

It was before such weapons were typified as "Eldar", back when IG & SM's also had jetbikes, Harlequins could take Land Raiders, and World Eaters Chaos Champions could walk around wielding Graviton cannons and Jokaero weapons.

Wait what? This is insane!

Vaktathi wrote:Trying to find one is next to impossible.

There are four copies on ebay right now.

Got one on my shelf....

The old days when everybody had all kinds of crazy stuff. And Orks could be hired as Mercs.

Vaktathi wrote:Trying to find one is next to impossible.

Search for Rouge Trader.

Depanding on your group, they should be fine with calling them bolters. I knew a guy who bought marines that the previous owner put skaven heads on them, and apparently he didn't have problems with it.

thesilverback wrote:The old days when everybody had all kinds of crazy stuff. And Orks could be hired as Mercs.

Well theoretically, anybody would be able to hire kroot as mercenaries, but why they would want to, I have no idea.

Anyone could have weapons from any other faction (availability differed).

Eldar had lascannons*, regular missile launchers, the same plasma guns and heavy plasma guns as everyone else.

Orks used bolters (not shootas), heavy bolters, lascannons and plasma guns (HPGs also) like everyone else.

TYRANIDS had bolters, heavy bolters, multimeltas, lascannons and so on just like everyone else.

Back then the shuriken catapult was superior in effect to the bolter - but only 50% of eldar guardians in 2nd ed could take them.

*The brightlance was firstly a limited access 'ancient' weapon gifted only to aspect exarches and select characters in the craftworld list

graidstin wrote:

thesilverback wrote:The old days when everybody had all kinds of crazy stuff. And Orks could be hired as Mercs.

Well theoretically, anybody would be able to hire kroot as mercenaries, but why they would want to, I have no idea.

Because Kroot don't poo and pee all over the place.

loota boy wrote:Depanding on your group, they should be fine with calling them bolters. I knew a guy who bought marines that the previous owner put skaven heads on them, and apparently he didn't have problems with it.

furry space marines?

This thread made me get my RT book out- it's in awful condition but some of the stuff in it is just brilliant.
I still use the campaign starter fluff for 5ed games with a few little changes here and there.

Kilkrazy wrote:

graidstin wrote:

thesilverback wrote:The old days when everybody had all kinds of crazy stuff. And Orks could be hired as Mercs.

Well theoretically, anybody would be able to hire kroot as mercenaries, but why they would want to, I have no idea.

Because Kroot don't poo and pee all over the place.

Umm... I guess so. But what I was really getting at is that unless used in the right situation they aren't very good, I mean mostly they're just used so your oppenents can't assault your fire warriors, or you could set them up in some forest area terrain, and they would be decent.

GalacticDefender wrote:What is (was?) the canonical reason why they have shuriken catapults?

It is important to note that the current canon really starts around 1990-1991 or so, and realistically, not until the start of 2nd Edition in 1993. The stuff from Rogue Trader was a lot of ideas compiled to make a science fiction miniatures game based loosely on Warhammer Fantasy. The cohesive vision of the modern 40K universe was created with the 2nd Edition rulebook.

The Marines in Rogue Trader had shurken catapults because there was no reason back then that they shouldn't, lol.

Zip Napalm wrote:

GalacticDefender wrote:What is (was?) the canonical reason why they have shuriken catapults?

You should go read a copy of Rogue Trader. The universe was more interesting 20 years ago.

It was... different, lol. Don't get me wrong, I love Rogue Trader. My whole Space Marine project log is inspired by it. But it was a jumble, heh. The current canon, while not perfect, is a lot more coherent and polished. I wish they'd kept some of the feel of Rogue Trader, but the details, not so much, heh.

Oh! Thread so dead!
Writhing in pain!
Arise, ARISE!
To post again!

Seriously, this thread is over a year old.. let it die in peace.

Interesting. Somebody must have deleted the post above mine. The thread was at the top of the list this morning and I didn't even bother to look at the original post date.

Ninja necromancers. Well, they have to entertain themselves somehow in their parents' basements while the paint dries on their latest Sisters of Battle figures.

Veteran Sergeant wrote:Interesting. Somebody must have deleted the post above mine.

Yea, that is not possible, you sill will see the posters name with a blank post.