Thoughts: Pistols, Shotguns, & Close-Combat

I've been giving some thought to how Pistols and Shotguns could be more useful. Especially in Close-Combat, which I want to give more character.

1) Let Pistols Shoot Normally On The Move

If you move, you normally only get to shoot at 1/2 of your standard Rate-Of-Fire. Let's let pistols (and maybe shotguns) shoot at their full RoF instead. Reflecting the relative ease of popping off shots with them.

2) Let Pistols and Shotguns shoot in Close-Combat.

When a unit assaults, we do defensive fire normally and any survivors that are in contact will swing at the beginning of the assault phase. No changes there.

But when the attacker of defender gets to consolidate into combat, I'm of a mind to let them shoot one shot from any pistol or assault weapon (shotgun, some carbines) just before they consolidate. Their targets can be any model that's within 12" and which is not engaged (touching bases) with another model. Wound allocation as normal (6+6 to pick).

3) Let Pistols Be Used Up Close. 

Basically I would let pistols be used in hand-to-hand fighting. Not as another generic attack, but rather as it's own attack. You would roll WS vs. WS instead of BS vs. Ev (as you would when shooting before consolidation), but you would resolve armor penetration and toughness/FP as you normally would for shooting.

This would slow down assaults some, but might make them a lot more fun and interesting. Particularly if we incorporate a LoTR-like 1-2" knock-back for getting hit but not killed in HtH. The idea being that close combat becomes less of a purely abstract die-rolling exercise and more of something that has it's own tactical considerations and back-and-forth flow. As models push enemies back, or get dog-piled so that they can't move.

This might work especially well since we're already planning to let combats go to completion instead of dragging them out over more than one turn. 40K's combats have character, but no real tactics beyond initial contact. Plus they're not decisive. While combat in Flames is decisive and has some round-by-round tactical considerations (not a lot, but some), it lacks character.

I want it all! If close-combat is going to be the big game-winning (or losing) payoff for making it across the field, I want it to be awesome. A sort of mini-game all it's own.

Thoughts?