>>5248913"The thing about melee is when you have someone punching you in the face you do not have time to care about the fact that you ALSO have someone shooting at you at the same time. It's very distracting. "
Mhm, hence why melee ought to be avoided.
But when it does happen, 40k has the pistol rule where pistols can be fired effectively in melee. This is exactly why we arm the steel wardens with pistols, so they can do some John Wick style stunts where their pistol is about as good as a melee weapon.
Basically think Pic related, but now add the fact that our marines can be given mechadendrites. For grabbing or parrying the enemies hits or holding storm shields, and also for shooting.
And pistols can have bayonets attached to them for extra stabbing power.
"Anyway we are overdue for a massive doctrine overhaul regardless. Especially now that we have access to normal Astartes and best of all Abhumans to play around with."
Absolutely.
Square away any lingering affairs on Lucius (investigate UZ1's brain plot
get permission from her father to propose to her make sure its set up so that it will handle itself for a couple of years) then we go to Mars on Pilgrimage and sort out any personal affairs, get as much in the way of technology and resource as we can and then we gather all of our boys together to implement and begin the long and steady process of doctrinal and governmental tweaks and planetary specialization.
Plus however much time it takes for us to politically finangle ourselves to become fabricator general.
If we finish the Mitu war, we've shortened the OTL of the Great Crusade by centuries, so we surely deserve some of that time.
