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How important is it for a figure to physically have the weapons it is equipped with?
Specifically if the weapon is it's standard loadout and nothing 'special'.

So, for example, I'm building an Intercessor Sergeant for Killteam, The Intercessor is equipped with a bolt rifle etc by default. Since it is a Sergeant it can take a power sword. I understand a power sword is something special and should be represented on the actual model. But is it mandatory to show the bolt rifle on the physical model as well since it is the standard loadout and would be assumed (I would think?)?

I like the Intercessor arm that is pointing -- I think it goes/looks better when the other arm has the power sword -- better than the arm that is holding a pistol and carrying a bolt rifle. So based off of aesthetics I would choose the pointing arm but I also want to be as compliant as possible to the intended rules of wargear being represented on the model.

The answer is that it depends entirely on the preferences of you and the people you play with. Some players prefer to have everything modeled as accurately as possible. Some don't care if you're using potato chips to represent your troops. Most, from my experience, fall somewhere in between those two extremes, but exactly where the line is drawn varies from gaming group to gaming group.

I would say it's not necessary to show everything, take a standard marine for example they carry a bolter in both hands, yet they also have a bolt pistol and combat blade which are not shown on the mini but you know they have them

Personally I think your take on it is about right. Standard stuff can be assumed.

At the very core of WYSIWYG is information sharing via the model and clarity of variation over the army via the model.

The idea is that your opponent can look at the models on the table at arms length (typical range you'll be viewing the game) and be able to tell which unit is which and what weapons that model is armed with.
They need to be able to tell one tac marine squad from the other - to be able to know that one unit of Tyranid warriors is armed with blades and claws whilst the other is armed with devourers and a single venom cannon.

These allow them to make important choices about how to play the game without having to stall and slow the game pace by continually having to ask which unit is which and checking army lists all the time. It speeds up the game and improves clarity. It also makes it a lot easier to play your own army because you can also tell which unit is which.


The big issue is "future proofing" which is where magnets have become very popular, esp for armies like Tyranids or for tanks where weapon variation is quite high and where new editions can make certain options not just more attractive, but even legal or illegal within the game. It also helps at a financial level because it lets you swap over weapons, often on big high price models, cheaply. Something that you might only take one or two off in any game there's no point buying 20 of to have variation within your armies.



When it comes to upgrades these are typically less important to model correctly. First up many upgrades don't have any visual option, they might be powers or internal bionics etc... Others are very subtle such as sights on guns or grenades on the hip; things which will vanish into the army and are invisible. Loads of marine models have seals and scrolls on them, but only a few of those are actual choices in upgrades. Similarly many tyranids can take an extended carapace which, unless pointed out, is almost impossible to see on the model as it blends in.
Finally upgrades are swapped in and out a lot for point balance and for tactical choice, its simply impossibly unreasonable to expect players to be fully WYSIWYG compliant because they'd either only be able to field one army, or they'd have to have utterly insane collection sizes to allow for upgrade variation.









Getting to your specific example you've got a model which has no weapon variation options in the box nor in the rules and which has only one loadout. Provided that the model is modelled as what it is then you have a bit more flexibility because you aren't hiding the gun by not having it in hand. That said if you have no ranged weapon at all on the model it might confuse your opponent if it then starts firing off ranged shots.

For example my gaming group takes this approach. WYSIWYG is a requirement for battles in which we use Force Points.
However players may point out if they are deviating from that prior to the start of the game.
About half the group magnetizes their models now, and the other half are dabbling in it and at some of our painting nights those who do magnetize have been helping those who do not.
For myself, as several of my armies are old mono-posed metal models I live with what the figure has and do not worry if I am missing out on the "best possible" configuration.

My two cents,

CB

Personally? I try to keep everything WYSIWYG. If I want a different configuration I'll make another model (Hate magnetizing. Makes models seem like toys to me. Movable parts! Action! Excitement!) or just change the existing one if possible in edition changes.

At this point though WYSIWYG is just a gentlemen's agreement, it's something that has been bred into gamers and you can tell when someone started playing the game (and what kind of gamer they are IME) with how obnoxious they are in not wanting to adhere to it. I won't expect others to adhere to it but if someone willingly does not then you won't be in for a pleasurable game.

A side note are the other "rules" of counts as and rule of cool. Both of these are ways for WYSIWYG to be violated but for a greater good of aesthetics. Want that massive two handed axe/sword to count as a power fist? Rule of cool has you covered fam.