Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

I know this would be a fairly situational unit, but has anyone ever used a suicidal flamethrower unit for the special weapons team for IG? Seems like it might be decent against horde and at the very least cause a lot of saves on marines, but I've never seen anyone talk about them or suggest them. Reason why I'm asking is because I'm considering stripping the grenade launcher off of my one and only guardsman squad and putting triple flamethrowers on them.

I have used this tactic and found that if you really want to do this its better to run a hellhound as it can throw its template. Though one good way to use this is to run a platoon and put the special weapon teams with flamers in valk/vendettas and drop them right were you want them they will die but they should kill a decent amount of stuff first, i would suggest running demolitions charge with them though that is always fun for a suicide squad. Don't rely on these guys to deal with horde armies but they will make a dent in just about anything you throw them at.

That makes sense, it also helps since I believe I only have a pair of flamethrowers. I've never seen a demo charge, which bit is it? Demo charges are nice and I've seen them used to great effect so I'll definitely run with that advice. Though I'm not serious enough with my guard to get a valk yet, DA are still on the front burner.

Well that just makes a good delivery device for them as long as you can get them in range they will work out well for you.

the demo charge bit doesnt exist, you just make something that reminds you of a bomb by kitbashing (i take the foot of the mortar and the ammo clip handle from the autocannon and do some sanding and BAM demo charge.

Ah, thanks for the help guys!

I think that a sws with 3 flamers inside a vendetta is a good combination. I never plan to do much with them, they are just there it make the vendetta scoring and give it a bit of anti infantry punch if needed. I find that if I put anything more valuable in the vendetta I feel too much preassure to use it. With just the sws I am happy to sit back and snipe and then run in at the end.

Sound advice, thanks Trickstick.

If you're using a suicide unit of SWS, then demo charge is the way to go. A boatload of templates will ruin anyone's day.

I make my demo charges by clipping the antenna off a Catachan VOX, and attaching a HW handle to the top. An explosive symbol decal also adds a nice touch.

Disclaimer: I don't play IG, only against them.

Non SM armies tend to rely heavily on cover. Personally, I play both Orks and Dark Eldar - more Dark Eldar than Orks lately.

I had a tournament game against a Mech IG opponent a few weekends ago, and he had several chimeras full of flamers.

The best Dark Eldar elite slot (trueborn) have 5+ armour saves and generally have to disembark to get their alpha strike - move up 12", disembark into cover, throw blaster shots at vehicles in range. Despite getting to go first, I lost two of my serious anti-tank units on the bottom of turn1 from his flamers. In turn, he lost his flamers, but I needed my true-born more than he needed his flamers. My wyches got a chance to multi-assault a chimera and a LMBT with haywire grenades - after which point they got flamered.

My beast unit is all T3 with 4+ invuls or 6+ armour saves.....they *hate* the flamer.

As Orks, flamers are just as bad - 6+ armour saves are terrible, but a 4+ cover isn't so bad - and Orks are pretty much going to be trying to get in your face.

As a Xenos player, I think that flamers are a good choice for you to take. As a Xenos player, I also hope that folks here convince you to take meltas instead.

The problem with a 3x flamer squad is that it's very difficult to get a solid blast in, and virtually impossible against a good opponent who can see it coming. It's one of those things where they hypothetical maximum damage it COULD cause blinds people against the nearly no damage that it's GOING to cause in any average game.

That and, as mentioned, there are other things that handle this role, but do the job better.

Honestly, I'd probably leave such a thing inside a valk or vendetta, causing it to be scoring, unless I found the perfect target of opportunity.

Dashofpepper wrote:Disclaimer: I don't play IG, only against them.

Non SM armies tend to rely heavily on cover. Personally, I play both Orks and Dark Eldar - more Dark Eldar than Orks lately.

I had a tournament game against a Mech IG opponent a few weekends ago, and he had several chimeras full of flamers.

The best Dark Eldar elite slot (trueborn) have 5+ armour saves and generally have to disembark to get their alpha strike - move up 12", disembark into cover, throw blaster shots at vehicles in range. Despite getting to go first, I lost two of my serious anti-tank units on the bottom of turn1 from his flamers. In turn, he lost his flamers, but I needed my true-born more than he needed his flamers. My wyches got a chance to multi-assault a chimera and a LMBT with haywire grenades - after which point they got flamered.

My beast unit is all T3 with 4+ invuls or 6+ armour saves.....they *hate* the flamer.

As Orks, flamers are just as bad - 6+ armour saves are terrible, but a 4+ cover isn't so bad - and Orks are pretty much going to be trying to get in your face.

As a Xenos player, I think that flamers are a good choice for you to take. As a Xenos player, I also hope that folks here convince you to take meltas instead.

Besides being great against orks and eldar quad flamer squads are about the only unit in the IG codex that genestealers should be very very afraid of.

IG Flamers are usually in quad flamer 50 point BS3 PCS. With a 50 point price tag expendable is their middle name. One particularly lame argument some dogmatic "Vets only" IG players make against taking infantry platoons is they don't want to be forced to buy a PCS because they regard PCS as total tripe when it is in fact the filet mingon of the infantry platoon. When else do you see a 50 point unit being the #1 thorn in an opponent's belly?

You can try to take allies?

Sisters of Battle Dominions are very effective flaming unit. Take 1 Superior, 1 normal guy and 4 flamers
Imagifier to Superior and Immolator as Dedicated transport. Then you have great flamer unit with 4 flamers, 1 twin-linked heavy flamer and some of wounds might be AP 1.
This unit costs about 200 points.

Im going to try this one with my marines.

I personally think flamers are about 110% better options than grenade launchers. I run an all flamer JO almost all the time now.

But I still wouldn't suicide that squad. To me flamers are about winning the short game and punishing units that survive to close the distance. Their value in later turns is too high to throw them away.

I played it alonside a lord commisar with powerfist and a melta gun as well in the squad if you do need to tackle any tanks or hard things

I run a PCS with 4 flamers, lead by al'rahem. They are able to outflank into the heart of any enemies that might be in cover and then flush them out. 4 templates can do a horrific amount of damage on a unit if you play your cards right

This tactic talks to the much loved and very real tactic that the IG use, "War of Attrition"

Drop in men knowing full well they have absolutely no chance of survival, but also knowing they will remove thrice their points with them. Its like dropping lukas the trickster

A special weapons squad with 3 flamers is 50 points. Lets assume those 3 flamers hit 4 space marines each.

12 hit, 6 wound, 3 dead space marines, 48 points of dead space marine! Kill another with a lasgun or hit a special weapons dude and your already over your quota.

BUT! Put a platoon command squad in a chimera with 4 flamers and drive the chimera near an enemy squad / let it get blown up in assault, and youll be covering up to 7 enemy models per template. I have taken off 20 gaunts with upgrades by doing that, they almost always makes their points back.

I have to concur. I invariably have a PCS with 3 or 4 flamer in support of a power blob. They dish out orders as/when appropriate and then flame anyone coming too close or pre-assault for the blob to pile in on.

r3n3g8b0y wrote:I run a PCS with 4 flamers, lead by al'rahem. They are able to outflank into the heart of any enemies that might be in cover and then flush them out. 4 templates can do a horrific amount of damage on a unit if you play your cards right

Oh, but al'rahem has "bring it down!" it's an awful waste not to give him plasma or melta and slag a nasty vehicle hiding in a corner.

After all, he shows up with all his buddies with lasguns, who are already good against light infantry.