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You Standard Space marine carries some fearsome armament, a sidearm, and has a suit of armour that can stop anti-tank shells. Given the nature of their role, and the way they are employed in close range firefights, its fairly certain that at some point they are going to find themselves in melee.
It seems silly to me (from a fluff point) that their only recourse in melee is to fall back to their trusty bolt pistol, or smash their opponent over the head with their boltgun or massive heavy weapon they are lugging round with them. I mean, objectively, carrying a combat blade, or a sword wouldn't encumber them in any meaningful fashion. so why is it that Loyalist space marines refuse to do what seems logical, and carry a secondary close combat weapon?

I'm asuming its primarily a games balance issue, and having 2 CCW's is what seperates assault marines from Tactical marines, is my assumption correct? and would space marines having a knife or sword as well as their bolt pistol and boltgun totally unballance them?

I believe that it is a balance issue, however it could be that the codex says that pistols are sufficient. And Grey Hunters carry the bolt gun, bolt pistol and ccw and are considered the best "Tac" squad out of all the space marine codices

They do carry combat blades in the fluff (it's more like a short sword for humans), but it's not good enough compared to a ChainSword that it doesn't really work well enough to count.

To a certain extent, though, why bother with a knife when your assisted strength allows you to punch holes in concrete

It's just a game mechanics thing. As people said, fluffwise they do usually carry a small combat blade along with their bolter.

Truth is, I could imagine that bolt pistols would be relatively uncommon, just back up weapons for the special / heavy weapon squaddies, plus sergeants.

madtankbloke wrote:

It seems silly to me (from a fluff point) that their only recourse in melee is to fall back to their trusty bolt pistol, or smash their opponent over the head with their boltgun or massive heavy weapon they are lugging round with them. I mean, objectively, carrying a combat blade, or a sword wouldn't encumber them in any meaningful fashion. so why is it that Loyalist space marines refuse to do what seems logical, and carry a secondary close combat weapon?

There is at least one type of Loyalist Marine that can use logic Grey Hunters. Those logical Space Wolves, heheh

Look at the =][= rules,
Where a Space marine can do more damage punching someone than shooting them with his boltgun...

Its just for game balance purpose only, like others have said. You cant translate the fluff directly to rules and there is no need to.

I dont like the whole scenario that they are smashing opponents with their bolters and pistols, makes them sound like ogryns

In fluff, each one has a pistol (Which in close combat, is very useful, as an aimed shot at close range with a pistol even in melee, will be just as useful as a blade) and also a combat blade.

 ShatteredBlade wrote:
I believe that it is a balance issue, however it could be that the codex says that pistols are sufficient. And Grey Hunters carry the bolt gun, bolt pistol and ccw and are considered the best "Tac" squad out of all the space marine codices

Actually the CCW is to represent their old true grit as well, they fight so well in combat that they usually spike up their bolters a bit and are able to use them as potent melee weapons.

Course it's also why they originally were supposed to be MORE then tac marines and with their skills it's why they should've been 17 points still.

Isn't the current SM codex a bit old? I think it came out before they decided to give SM knives.

Don't the CSM have knives, or was that in the old dex?

Space Marines don't need the finesse of a knife although they do have them. Their fists do enough damage as it is. They only use the pistol as a close combat weapon because it happens to be in their hand at the time any way!

They are close combat weapons

they should really get it automatically to be honest

During the Horus Heresy the traitor marines stole most of the close combat weapons and took them into the Eye with them when they retreated.

However, after 10,000 years of war, unfortunately most of those weapons have become broken, meaning that now CSM have to buy them as an upgrade rather than having them as standard