Why doesn't the imperium issue something like the M72 LAW to guardsmen?

Why doesn't the imperium issue something like the M72 LAW to guardsmen?

Because they do not possess an STC of something like a M72 LAW. The missile launchers they do have require a team of two men to operate (and they do issue those to Guardsmen).

There's no STC for them.

My favorite LAW fact is that the Army bought so many of these things that they are technically cheaper than a hand grenade.

What's a guardsman going to kill with a single-shot bolter?

If we are to ignore the obvious and correct argument of "The Admech doesn't have the blueprints for it and *rediscovering* something is always a risky proposition"

Then you have the fact that such a weapon is the antithesis of guard doctrine.
A one-use weapon system that takes up a lot more space then ammunition and which must be ferried across the galaxy by the hundreds of millions to meet the needs of the guard across all fronts.

No, sir. The guardsman has a lasgun. If there are things a lasgun cannot hurt he shall call upon the support squads, artillery or hope the commissar dies before he does so that he can retreat.

So does that mean that the imperium cannot build anything unless they have a STC for it? Fucks sake. How did they survive that long? Is creativity and innovation heresy?

Yes. Tech-heresy.

>Is creativity and innovation heresy?
Obviously! Re-discovery of previously known technology is fair game, if AdMech thoroughly verifies it's not heretical.

You brand your innovation as "rediscovering lost technology" And as long as nobody can prove you wrong you're fine. If they do It'l probably start off a private war between the Magi involved with the loosing being branded a Heretech.

>Is creativity and innovation heresy?
Yes, actually

Any innovation that actually happens is done under the guise of a new STC being discovered, then the tech-priests pray that nobody finds out they made it up.

Bare in mind this is a universe where it is legitimately possible for technology to somehow get possessed and try to kill you if you aren't careful.

They can but it usually takes several centuries while they make extra sure it won't summon demons when they turn it on.

>ORAK 75
>"Penetrates all tanks."
Technically true, but practically misleading.

>Achillan Mk.III “Tread Fether” Missile Tube
>The Achillan MkIII is representative of a category of light, highly portable missile launchers that many regiments colloquially refer to as “tread fethers.” So-called for their utility against tanks and other armoured vehicles, tread fethers are more portable and less encumbering than other missile launchers, while sacrificing none of the destructive potential. This added mobility makes tread fethers a favourite amongst light infantry regiments, for whom the reduced range and accuracy of the missile tube are of small concern.

p.114 from Only War, Hammer of the Emperor

Some say the reason they taken so long to find out Plasma Guns had a power setting, and didn't HAVE to be fired at full power was because the gun worked "fine" without ever touching the power dial, and they were afraid turning it would summon demons.

And the fact that if the circuitry "accidentally" form certain geometric shapes (think pentagrams and similar ideas) then it may, in fact, be designed to be possessed and start murdering you. Or may indeed invite daemons to start praying on anyone using the thing.

etc etc.
There is a reason why the Admech doesn't want just anyone fiddling around with this shit.

...

>An STC for a combat knife was discovered by two Imperial Guard Scouts that was "sharper and lighter and tougher." They were hailed as heroes for this discovery, and received a planet each

So when it's discovered you lied about having an STC in order to perform heresy, how do expect it to be received? Or what's the opposite of receiving your own planet to rule?

>Or what's the opposite of receiving your own planet to rule?
Being turned into a servitor for menial labor but your mind is still conscious, just not in control.

Receiving a planet to kick your ass?

The Admech kicks down your door, drinks all your Pepsi and calls you a bitch

dying

There's a difference between building something, and producing and distributing something on a galactic scale.

If it works as well as an STC, they'll probably give you a pass.

Didnt you even read a single book you newfag.
It is written in every intro.

> Forget the power of technology and science, for so much has been forgotten, never to be relearned. Forget the promise of progress and understanding, for in the grim dark future there is only war.

Isn't that a missile launcher?

They can. It's just that STC stuff is usually of better quality and easier to mass-produce for millions of regiments.

It's a lighter, one-use disposable RPG basically.

The closest equivalent we have in 40k is the tread fethers from Gaunt's Ghosts, like that other user mentioned.

It would probably be closer to a heavy bolter shot. Plenty of things can get killed by that even if you only get 1 shot. Plus you're not wasting as many shots as a heavy bolter which is firing a lot more shots than it's in game profile indicates which are wasted shots.

>A combat knife is worth two planets in the 41st millennium
Why are future humans so fucking dumb.

Why does ANYONE think these dumbasses will actually outlast anyone else?

>Why does ANYONE think these dumbasses will actually outlast anyone else?
Probably because they have so many planets they can pay people with them.

Fair enough.

Because, they do, they're called tread-fethers

This Plus 'paying' someone with a planet still means they're gonna end up managing it and producing stuff. Being the king of a world doesnt except you from responsibilities or tithes, but for a guardsman it is a huge step up.

Odds are they needed someone to replace a planetary govenor anyway.

I figured meltaguns were a common enough short range anti tank weapon, while also being universally devastating unlike LAWs where they don't pack much power and usually can't get a front arc kill on anything heavy.

Actually, disposable launchers exist in the fluff. They just aren't on the tabletop.

40k doesn't have much nuance in missile launchers. It's a category which contains lots of very different weapons of varying shell size.

>left: casemate mounted seeker missiles on a T'au Manta

>fluff insert as nod to Abnett's writing
>Not in the game
> Not mentioned anywhere else

Perhaps, given the vaguely defined ground scale, that disposable weapons like LAWs could be considered equivalent to a grenade...