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I've been noticing this a lot, as I hunt around for trades/ look at ebay auctions... But... why?

Example- Combi-flamers on Chaos Terminators.... WHY? That's the most god-awful option they have. Why would even consider putting that on the model?
- Gluing down Multi-melta sponsons on Leman Russes...wat.
- Ork Trukks with everything possible crammed onto them
- Defilers with heavy flamers
- Carnifexes with crushing claws
- Heavy weapons teams with mortars glued down
- Stupid conversions, like some dude has a camo cloak, powerfist and a vox caster :3
The list goes on. I just can't understand it. Are you even reading the codex, or do you just put whatever junk seems cool on your models? I could understand if you play proxies, or if you're buying them for showcase reasons, but even then... consider the fact you're probably going to want to sell them sooner or later, and modelling stupid options is a guarentee that you either won't sell them, or will get ripped off.

Anyway, rant over. I'm sure you guy's have noticed this too, so I can't be alone.

Because they think they look cool, or they like using the options in-game.

Cause some bad options look way cool

Because of fluff, because not everyone plays optimized lists, because some people like something regardless of how good it is in the game, the list goes on.

How you think the game works and should be isn't how someone else thinks it works and should be.

Wel in the FLGS that I go to there was one person that had a space marien commander with every single weapon on ONE HAND! it looked stupid.

Carnifex crushing claws were much better in 4th than 2x scything talons, to many people. Mine all had them These days they suck hard, though.

As to the rest, i couldn't agree more, but apparently other people had different opinions when modelling their figs. Could be they were going by what looked cool to them, not what was game efficient (if they were playing friendly games Wysiwyg is less important.)

Maybe thats why they are all up for trade or on ebay.

Platuan4th wrote:Because of fluff, because not everyone plays optimized lists, because some people like something regardless of how good it is in the game, the list goes on.

How you think the game works and should be isn't how someone else thinks it works and should be.

But that's silly. Even a fool could tell that heavy flamers don't make sense on something that's carrying a massive battlecannon. Even a fool would know that mortars are absolute dog-poop. Even if I played non-wysiwyg, I'd still put something cool like a lascannon on the base,not a mortar....

I understand what you're saying, sure, but it still seems a little strange that some people actually do stuff like that

I have 3x Mortar HWT in my guard army. I use them to fill 60 points occasionally and because you can make them from the HWT box without sacrificing anything else.

Samus_aran115 wrote:...consider the fact you're probably going to want to sell them sooner or later...

I beg to differ. While there may be a bunch of guys selling their stuff when they think themselves 'done', I would imagine there are many, more who tend to hang on to their models until they go missing or break up into a million little pieces.

On to the subject again: To me, vox-casters are neat looking (especially that helmet!), even if they are pretty junk. So I made ten of them. As others have said before, cool-looking stuff looks... cool. And people like to look at cool stuff, right?

Samus_aran115 wrote:

Platuan4th wrote:Because of fluff, because not everyone plays optimized lists, because some people like something regardless of how good it is in the game, the list goes on.

How you think the game works and should be isn't how someone else thinks it works and should be.

But that's silly. Even a fool could tell that heavy flamers don't make sense on something that's carrying a massive battlecannon. Even a fool would know that mortars are absolute dog-poop. Even if I played non-wysiwyg, I'd still put something cool like a lascannon on the base,not a mortar....

I understand what you're saying, sure, but it still seems a little strange that some people actually do stuff like that

Again, a "fool" doesn't think the same way. Take the group I play with(not myself, but everyone else, who aren't members of online forums for the game): hull Lascannons on LRBTs and Demolishors, walking Blood Angels with Devastators, a mix of jetbikes and foot Eldar, etc. It works for them(unless playing me, because I tweak lists), but they don't think competitively. I've shaken up their meta so much, that they've started to think a little more like we on Dakka do and started to take my advice more and more about how to build lists(the BA player may start winning games now that she's actually started to look at what Razorspam can do with small AM units).

In a way, you're right. People with a more competitive mindset will have the game and what combos work best figured out soon after starting, but more casual players don't think that way, especially if they don't attend tournaments or pay attention to Webhammer. To be honest, you see the same thing with games like Magic.

I have multimeltas on my Demolishers for fluff reasons, and I made a mortar cause...dang nabbit, the mortar looks cool! Sometimes I just like the way it looks...and its easy enough to say 'all the vox casters don't exist' or whatever.

Mortars are actually a pretty viable option. They're cheap and they fit into a footslogging IG army pretty well. They're not used as much because there are plenty of better options, but that's because the IG book is full of stupidly good options.

I think a lot of the goofy configurations are newer players that don't understand optimization. If you don't know that combi-flamers aren't good, then you might model them. Some models might be result of pillaging for bitz.

Samus_aran115 wrote:

Platuan4th wrote:Because of fluff, because not everyone plays optimized lists, because some people like something regardless of how good it is in the game, the list goes on.

How you think the game works and should be isn't how someone else thinks it works and should be.

But that's silly. Even a fool could tell that heavy flamers don't make sense on something that's carrying a massive battlecannon. Even a fool would know that mortars are absolute dog-poop. Even if I played non-wysiwyg, I'd still put something cool like a lascannon on the base,not a mortar....

I understand what you're saying, sure, but it still seems a little strange that some people actually do stuff like that

Flamers whilst closing in for assault or to deter assault?

Mortars to force massed dice rolling saves? Maybe players have lascannons as well?

You have used words like silly and fool maybe you could preface with the words 'in my opinion?'.

I've always bought figures that look nice and fit a style of army rather than try to build 'optimised lists'. Way too serious.

Mr. Burning wrote:
You have used words like silly and fool maybe you could preface with the words 'in my opinion?'.

Does smack a bit of an ignorance borne of "my way to play and think is the best and therefore only way" mentality. But so does the whole reasoning for starting the thread.

I have Multi-Meltas on my Russes because I like them that way. It's fluffy for my army, and it is fun to use.

1) competitive gamer - Hasn't learned better yet and enjoys the end, not the means, so will eventually get a maximized list for his meta game to achieve the end.

2) casual gamer - Doesn't really care or the Rule of Cool is in effect because he enjoys the means, not the end. Having two Thunder Hammers on a Marine looks cool.

Those are the two broad answers you'll get.

heacy hitter wrote:Wel in the FLGS that I go to there was one person that had a space marien commander with every single weapon on ONE HAND! it looked stupid.

This sort of thing I really hate. People covering their tanks in guns is also pretty stupid. On the other hand, if the conversion looks cool then why not?

Samus_aran115 wrote:I've been noticing this a lot, as I hunt around for trades/ look at ebay auctions... But... why?

Example- Combi-flamers on Chaos Terminators.... WHY? That's the most god-awful option they have. Why would even consider putting that on the model?
- Gluing down Multi-melta sponsons on Leman Russes...wat.
- Ork Trukks with everything possible crammed onto them
- Defilers with heavy flamers
- Carnifexes with crushing claws
- Heavy weapons teams with mortars glued down
- Stupid conversions, like some dude has a camo cloak, powerfist and a vox caster :3
The list goes on. I just can't understand it. Are you even reading the codex, or do you just put whatever junk seems cool on your models? I could understand if you play proxies, or if you're buying them for showcase reasons, but even then... consider the fact you're probably going to want to sell them sooner or later, and modelling stupid options is a guarentee that you either won't sell them, or will get ripped off.

Anyway, rant over. I'm sure you guy's have noticed this too, so I can't be alone.

Who knows maybe they LIKE or ENJOY that option or aesthetic. Please bare in mind not everyones meta game is the same, making some options quite frankly better than the cookie cutter net lists you clearly love.

Because not everyone plays sportshammer 40k?

It's called personal taste, Not everyone thinks the same thing looks cool. Not everyone is WaaC + as far as i know there is no real penalty to having too may options just a penalty for too little.

At last my many years of machinations and macchiavellian schemes have proved fruitfull ....a hint here a push there and i have managed to spread a consperational web amongst all my fellow gamers so that they all have differnt ideas on what they get from the hobby and what they like !
now if i can only work out a way to slow those nerve impulses that shoot from some peoples brains to there fingers then we shall all have a better life .

or in short ...cos they want to !

Samus_aran115 wrote:
But that's silly. Even a fool could tell that heavy flamers don't make sense on something that's carrying a massive battlecannon. Even a fool would know that mortars are absolute dog-poop. Even if I played non-wysiwyg, I'd still put something cool like a lascannon on the base,not a mortar....

Two reasons you haven't considered.

1) Some people are not win at all costs powergamers.
2) Some people are better at it than you, and can see value where you don't.

lord_blackfang wrote:

Samus_aran115 wrote:
But that's silly. Even a fool could tell that heavy flamers don't make sense on something that's carrying a massive battlecannon. Even a fool would know that mortars are absolute dog-poop. Even if I played non-wysiwyg, I'd still put something cool like a lascannon on the base,not a mortar....

Two reasons you haven't considered.

1) Some people are not win at all costs powergamers.
2) Some people are better at it than you, and can see value where you don't.

I was going to shout "you are a dumb" at the OP, but this is a whole lot better. +1 or whatever we use around here to agree with statements of others.

Polonius wrote:Mortars are actually a pretty viable option. They're cheap and they fit into a footslogging IG army pretty well. They're not used as much because there are plenty of better options, but that's because the IG book is full of stupidly good options.

I think a lot of the goofy configurations are newer players that don't understand optimization. If you don't know that combi-flamers aren't good, then you might model them. Some models might be result of pillaging for bitz.

This.

Even from a competitive standpoint, several of the options the OP has labeled as terrible are quite viable or even good depending on your play environment. OP should have a cold drink (or maybe a nice mug of coffee or hot chocolate, if he's somewhere cold) and free his mind a little.

Also regarding mortars, with some spare Guard figs, and preference for Guard holding Missile Launchers while standing, Mortars are spare and you might as well knock them together.

Lascannons etc use the other stand, only the Missile launcher shares the Mortar one.

My old Guard army had twelve Mortars, not because I was a huge fan, although they can be very handy. Just due to the fact, I was able to make them up along with three Missile Launchers per box, plus whatever I wanted from the others. Think it was 3 HB, 6 LC and 3 Autocannons, plus the 12 Missile Launchers.

I voted for "It looks cool." Wait, this isn't a poll?

Yeah, crushing claws look awesome. I would definitely model a carnifex with them.

Some of the more interesting lists for certain scenarios and personalised army types are far from 'optimal'. Someone complaining they are not optimised to make best use of the Codex is clearly missing the point.

One day, I will get me a pair of Stone Crusher Claws and make a Carnifex (most likely Old One Eye), with Crushing Claws, and it will look Awesome.

In addition, a Guard player at the FLGS swears by his mortar unit.