I get you now... But since the game has Space Wolves in the same faction with loyalists, we don't want Dark Angels crying they don't get chainswords for their tacticals...or do we...anyway...this needs to be balanced somewhat... Anyway, got way off-topic... Voted no, changing that to yes, with proper balancing and some lore respect...
Yes. As long as it's not overpowered. Needs drawbacks for carrying an extra main weapon. Like if you're gonna wield two bolters you get reduced accuracy, or 2 chainswords gives you reduced defence in exchange for more offensive melee power.
I somewhat thought common sense and real world gun physics would have sufficed as evidence. Bolters can be used one handed, sure. So can AK47s. In both cases you'd struggle to use them effectively. Like any real world gun, you'd need the second hand to hold the aim steady and absorb the recoil. That's why 9/10 of the marines in the artwork, fluff, games and the TT itself hold them two handed.
Except they're wearing power armor which completely mitigates any and all recoil to flawless aimbot levels.
They also carry weapons with far stronger recoil, which are far larger, and weigh far more than modern firearms. The power armour negates most of that, but not all of that, hence why their arms aren't torn off by the recoil like when a human uses their bolter. If that were the case, why would they not use them one handed all the time? In fact, if that were the case, why would their aim not be perfect when they are firing using two hands? Why would they generally fire in bursts, if the weapons are fine to spray and pray without recoil? Why would the artwork, TT, games, etc, all show them firing with two hands if they're perfectly fine to fire one handed, as well as they can with two? Why not just duel wield them, if there's so little recoil or loss of accuracy? What's a bolt pistol for, if the bolter does its job just as well, but with better range and more ammo? Again, that it can be used in one hand does not equate to the gun being able to be used to its best capability in one hand. They're best used in two hands, same as an AK47 (as per my previous example).
While I understand the fact that every Ork, Eldar, CSM and SM has the ability to melee, if the "pure" melee classes aren't head and shoulders above the ranged classes as far as offensive and defensive melee capabilities , you defeat the entire premise of a class system. If you're going to allow Ranged units to carry chainswords, power swords, power axes, it's only fitting to allow Melee units to carry plasma rifles, storm bolters, combi-weapons ect. Might as well just have no classes and make it a free for all.
