# Khorne Berzerkers with Bolters



## IronWarrior123 (Mar 30, 2011)

As the title says, could Berzerkers have Bolters, to represent the more sane members of the World Eaters


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## Tim/Steve (Jan 25, 2009)

"Sanity, is for the weak"

They don't have bolters in their equipment list and since 40k is WYSIWYG you can't give them bolters and play as if they dont have them. So, no... you can't have sane Berzerkers with bolters in your army.

BUT you could have a unit of sane berzerkers... using the standard CSM unit rules and just painting them as Berzerkers.


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## Karak The Unfaithful (Feb 13, 2011)

Bolters aren't really a bezerker thing, prehaps if they had some kind of assault SMG that might be much more common. They don't really take them since they can't shoot and then assault.


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## IronWarrior123 (Mar 30, 2011)

Tim/Steve said:


> BUT you could have a unit of sane berzerkers... using the standard CSM unit rules and just painting them as Berzerkers.


That is what I meant, thanks Tim/Steve, the models are cheaper and I have spare bolters. Have some rep


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## Rems (Jun 20, 2011)

From a fluff standpoint (seeing how this is in the fluff forum) of course you could have World Eaters using bolter. While most seem to prefer close combat there would be exceptions. Someone has to pilot all their vehicles for example. What a marine uses is going to come down to personal preference.


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## Moonschwine (Jun 13, 2011)

Fluff wise berserkers are given surgery to become lobotomised to craze and go into a mad blood-lust where they revel in hand to hand combat, so they just "prefer" to use weapons that are short ranged as they charge forward so they can really get in and enjoy the thick of combat. 

From a Game mechanics stand point this is represent by forgoing the use of longer ranged weaponry with the idea they are over-taken by blood-lust. As mentioned, CSM's painted berzeker schemes accurately represent "in game" marines with a little more restraint.

A big problem is "Berzerker" usually translates as "Stupid" for many people. I would bet good cash that World Eaters and devotees of Khorne do use all kinds of ranged weaponry from time to time in order to kill as much as possible for the blood-god. Khorne doesn't care where or how the blood flows, just so long as it does so. Kharn for example ran around with a flamer burning everything he saw - It's be hard to argue its the ideal weapon to be "Spilling Blood" with.


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## revan4559 (Aug 9, 2010)

A khorne beserker can have a bolter if he wants, but he is more likely to beat you to death with it fluff wise then actually shoot you.


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## Serpion5 (Mar 19, 2010)

revan4559 said:


> A khorne beserker can have a bolter if he wants, but he is more likely to beat you to death with it fluff wise then actually shoot you.


Nope. Maybe if it ran out of ammo. Otherwise I`d say odds are split even.  


There are examples of Khorne Berzerkers acting sane and making tactical choices. In the example of Kharn using a flamer for instance, his ire was fueled by the reluctance of his warriors to fight due to fatigue. 

That`s hardly blood crazed behaviour. 

An example of restraint happens in the CSM codex, where a small contingent of berzerkers choose to take cover rather than charge blindly across no mans land.


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## GreatUncleanOne (Apr 25, 2011)

I thought Kharn used the flamer because the freezing night was coming and everyone plus his guys were seeking shelter as the night would freeze even them. Kharn as a right thinking man that he is came up with a plan to warm himself. burn everything! even his on mens shelter (and them too). hence how he got the title the betrayer


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## Fallen (Oct 7, 2008)

didnt the old rules (a long time ago, so if someone whose played since RT days could verify) have then work basically like the current death company do ATM...ish? (minus relentless) where they had a pistol, CCW, bolter, FC, and FnP?


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## Dawnstar (Jan 21, 2010)

Tim/Steve said:


> They don't have bolters in their equipment list and since 40k is WYSIWYG you can't give them bolters and play as if they dont have them. So, no... you can't have sane Berzerkers with bolters in your army.


Just wanting to point out that there is no good reason why you can't give a Berzerker a one-handed Bolter and call it "the crazy man's pistol" :laugh:


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## Eleaxus (Aug 1, 2009)

I think it comes down to it being a taste of preference for each CSM and their own personality/tastes as has been said. Likely, most Zerkers will like close combat weapons because they can really lose themselves and go mad.

But Khorne, imo, respects all combat and warfare, and so long as blood is shed and skulls are taken, I believe he would show equal respect (Martial nobility) amongst any warrior, regardless of their weapons.

(Obviosuly, at least sometimes the World Eaters would HAVE to make tactical/planning decisions. I think people get too caught up in they are just mad crazed warriors. Warfare is much more expansive than just going crazy fighting, and I'm sure Khorne feeds of those emotions as well.)


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## Eleaxus (Aug 1, 2009)

Dawnstar said:


> Just wanting to point out that there is no good reason why you can't give a Berzerker a one-handed Bolter and call it "the crazy man's pistol" :laugh:


I thought ASM could equip a one handed bolter and still wield a close combat weapon?

Even if not, I could see heavy use of a flamer (Kharn's example) or a plasma pistol (Kharn's example again, this way it destroys any armor and allows for a fresh strike that is sure to allow blood to flow in one hit, instead of just armour.)


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