My friend bought the Only War Beta and we ran a session with it and I must say I am impressed with the system. However, during the game I was reminded of an idea I had way back for Deathwatch. That idea was full weapon customization. Now at the time we agreed space marines were highly unlikely to just begin swapping out parts for their bolters, but for guardsman I could see this happening.

When I say full weapon customization I mean breaking the weapon down completely and offering upgrades for every slot. This would mean full customization on scopes, barrels, gas system/charge type, grips/under-barrel weapons, side rail upgrades such as heartbeat sensors, aiming lasers, and lenses, different stock types, trigger controls, magazines, grips, and pretty much any other part that could be thought up. Upgrades wouldn't really be anything drastic, perhaps a different barrel type might increase damage by +1, and a grip provided a minor +2 to BS, but I like the idea of full customization to be there. So does this seem like something a guardsman would do? Would it even be possible for them to acquire all these aftermarket parts? In general, does the community see this as a valid idea? Thanks in advance.

 As a side note I wanted to point out that I have seen the Weapon Upgrade page, where many of the mentioned upgrades are there. I wanted to focus more on what was not there and think about what could be added. I love variety in weapons.

 I think the issue with this is that for the most part, a guardsmans gear is more valuable than his own life. The munitorum is not going to let every tom, dick and harry modify their trusty M36 Lasgun to their own needs for a number of reasons, some of which are:

• Standardised gear means supplies and replacements are very easy.
• Unsanctioned weapon modifications will deviate a squads performance from what is expected.
• A trooper might well bring a personal sidearm for backup, but their standard issue gear is a loan to them from the Emperor himself and it must be returned in the same state it was issued!

Now these issues will begin to be waived a bit as a unit gains veterancy, to the point where the unit will almost stop being supported by the munitorum and their standard issue gear, and be tolerated in their looting and modifying of gear. Even then however it is going to be a rare unit or even trooper that completely breaks down their weapon into every single component and modifies them that much.

It's a fine line to walk between modularity and standardisation, but with Only War being the focus on squad level military action, i feel it's better not to delve too deeply into weapon modifications. These aren't glory hogging Rogue Traders or elite Inquisitorial Acolytes after all!

I have to agree there.

Not to mention the Techpriest is going to have a few new servitors if they're not too careful.

I would wait until the book is completely out before thinking up how in-depth it will be for the customization.

 Weapon customisation is a big (and cool!) part of, well, video games, but Real Actual Soldiers do it to, what with sights, grenade launchers, foregrips etc. Look, we all know how this works. I personally loved Army of Two purely because of the option to 'Pimp' you weapons - have

So it would be nice if we could somehow make this work in 40k. Because there is really no excuse for fantasy soldiers being less cool than real soldiers.

Maybe so long as the weapons are assembled from approved parts in approved rituals it is okay. Maybe the configurations assembled are determined by examining the entrails of a grox slaughtered on a particular day. Or something.

One word: RAILS.

Too useful now, too useful for even a fanciful future to ignore.

Never_ending said:

I would agree with this. It could be the case that FFG decides to introduce a system similar to the one you propose, if not, once you have the full book you can make a more balanced set of house rules for it.

As for the fluff, if you're on the front line for months on end (maybe even years. I know that's unlikely for a guardsman but still.) your surival is going to be slightly more important than the tech adept breathing down your neck (or mechanically wheezing). Plus if your commisar happens to take a slug to the head, well, he isn't going to mind a little bit of a deviation from the standard field kit :P

 i see this varying greatly from unit to unit. if you have a new unit of hive scum they will have a standard kit. if you have a unit like the first born, rich families that sent custom equipment and uncles and aunts that hand down weapons made thousands of years ago then you might see a lot of customization. 

the other side of that would be a penal/feral/fudeal world regiment. many of these bring their own weapons or are given junk weapons or what they can scavenge. 

the local arbiters needed room so they cleaned out the evidence lockers full of confiscated drugs and weapons. they donate them to outfiting a new penal legion. everything from gang boss personal bolters to pickpocket boot knives. none of it is standard, but who cares they are fodder.

the feral worlders from a desert planet ride giant lizards using bone bows, while another feral world regiment from a frozen planet use stone headed clubs and spears. 

a fudeal regiment of knights from a Agri type world rides armored triceratop type creatures and carry lances made out of local super strong and sharp stone, while another that was settled on a desert planet resemble 10th century arabic calvery. 

your standard type regiments, being outfited by the imperium or admec won't have much variation. others that are either primative, cannon fodder, high born, one backed by a powerful entity (a rogue trader or the church for example), a generational unit, one that is a specilist unit, or one that raised itself (drususian missionaries flocking to a battle front with whatever weapons they can lay hands on). anything where standard doesn't quite fit. 

 +++++One word: RAILS.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nhc7YSuepNE

Slightly more seriously, a well accessorised firearm can look dead good.

In closing, there have been great advances in the art and science of 'looking cool while shooting things' in recent years, and Warhammer 40k must move to keep up!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h94E_N0o9uo

There already is a certain amount of customisation you can get done to your weapons, but as others have said, anything more than minor modifications (not including adding laser sights or a scope) are punishable in the Imperial Guard, because your weapon is not your own, it belongs to the Imperium, and since it will be passed on to someone else when you are inevitably killed, it needs to be kept as standard as possible so that everyone trained in using such a weapon can just pick it up and use it, without having to relearn just how this one weapon works.

Well in general, Guardsmen are the Generic minimum wage expendables of the Imperium so most will probably be slaughtered before they can make any real modifications. However, there is a possibility that a guardsman who survives a few skirmishes can trade credits or supplies to get a few minor upgrades, but he probably wouldn't go all out at once with the modifications. They most likely would purchase more upgrades bit by bit as time went on, since it often takes time for a lowly guardsmen to gather something to trade for the attachments. And usually the more sophisticated upgrades are reserved for more experienced and valued soldiers like the stormtroopers and officers. As well, modifications would probably vary in availability depending upon what kind of regiment you are in. A Valhallan would probably not really be able to find certain attachments that are best suited for jungle warfare like certain types of red dot sights or scopes etc.

Accessories have really only become a thing in, what, the last ten years? 

I think if you were designing a setting now, customisation would be a big part of it. So I think we should work hard to ensure that it can be incorporated in to Warhammer 40k.

Warhammer 40k =/= the modern day

Try to think of the setting as being set in WW1, with the strict hierarchy, rules, and standardised equipment that were dominant during that war, and you're closer to what the Imperial Guard is in 40k.

MILLANDSON said:

I don't think that matters.

And when it is is up for debate. Catachans are still fighting the Vietnam war, and the Cadians are supposed to be more 'Modern'.

The Guard is pretty much any gun based army ever you think is cool, and it ought to go up to ultra-modern.

And it is supposed to be the far future as well as being the past. A mix of anachronistic elements would be very in keeping with the setting.

And this stuff is cool. We should use it.

 The Imperium also embodies gross incompetence. You could have a piece of kit should would greatly increase troop performance and have requests for it denied because it's not in the proper index for gear that may be requestioned.

Indomitable Wrath said:

Actually, while the tabletop certainly makes them feel that way, the Guard is actually fairly well trained, and technically decently equipped. There's actually more problems with their doctrines [a lot of "MEATGRINDER IS BEST GRINDER" commands] than their supply chain. Its certainly vast enough that errors happen a lot, but that's more because there's that much more people and errors to be made; its probably pretty standard, or even a little below what our bureaucracies manage to pull off.

Many planetary regiments are taken from the better parts of their PDF. Its the latter that are the minimum-wage mallcops of the galaxy. For every planet where the Imperial Guard was just a way to bide for time till titans or astartes made it there, there was a PDF or even some Arbites that got seriously reamed to bide for time till the IG got there.