Gatling Good/Playing With

Basic Trope: Six barrels are so much better than one.

• Straight: Look! A man-portable minigun!
• Exaggerated:
  • Look! A man-portable minigun that shoots rockets!
  • Triple gatling gun (as in, three separate Gatling guns combined into one weapon system). Times two.
  • A gatling gun where each of the six rotating barrels is a gatling gun.
• Justified: The story is about Bug War. Ludicrous amount of targets makes miniguns the only viable weapons.
• Inverted: Miniguns are among the weakest weapons in the setting. Slow-firing-but-powerful weapons are infinitely better.
• Subverted: The minigun is experimental and often more dangerous to its users than the targets due to various technical problems like steam leaks. Plus it's accuracy is so terrible that a simple swordsman could kill its user after thousands of rounds were fired.
• Double Subverted: Once its inventor solves those problems it's a terrifying invention that leads to the complete collapse of existing formation based tactics.
• Parodied: Kids terrorize the neighborhood with a Gatling spud gun.
• Deconstructed:
  • Someone tries to use minigun while on foot - without a tripod or any other support - and knockback sends him flying straight into a nearby wall.
  • He/she runs out of ammo in about 20 seconds of continuous fire
• Reconstructed:
  • So giving miniguns to foot soldiers was a bad idea. Never mind. Let's just stick them on Powered Armour instead.
  • And handwave a Bottomless Magazines.
  • Alternatively, give them to Super Soldiers.
• Zig Zagged: The heroes try using one, but it turns out they're too weak to lift it. Then Powered Armor comes in, but it turns out the bullets are ineffective. Then an A-10 comes in and proceeds to show some GAU-8 goodness.
• Averted: No miniguns are seen, despite heroes could really use one.
• Enforced: Everyone loves Gatling guns, and the writer is no exception.
• Lampshaded: "Can you even find non-rotary weapons on this planet?"
• Invoked: One regiment in the army is armed exclusively with Gatling guns, supplied with explosive rounds, and used mainly for psychological warfare.
• Defied: The Genius Bruiser refues to take one, since it'll only slow him down and make him an easy target for a Cold Sniper.
• Discussed: "Don't you think we may be overdoing it a little?" "Shut up and keep firing!"
• Conversed: "Isn't it a bit odd how many handheld miniguns movies have?" "Well, it's cool."

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No, that's not God's chainsaw you're hearing. That's the sound of Gatling Good.