So the CRB is a little ambiguous on the subject of exactly what sort of area is effected when I flamer is used to make an attack. My GM and I are trying to come up with a good compromise between us, but I'm curious if there's a more official answer. Assuming a standard flamer with a range of 20m, does that 20m cover just a line bewteen you and the target, or do you sweep it around in a cone that covers more area? That flamers do hella damage against hordes suggests that the latter might be correct, but I don't know.

It's explicitly stated: a 30-degree cone.

If you've played the tabletop minis game, you've probably seen the flamethrower template. I think that gives me the best sense of what it should look like. I'm sure I could Google image it.

I am using grid paper in which one square = 2 meters. And since man and I get along about as well as a dolphin and a Japanese man, I just ruled that at 20m, the spread would be 6m at its widest point.

It's explicitly stated: a 30-degree cone.

So it is, page 142. I read right over that. Thanks, mate.

On a similar topic, I found this while poking around on the web. It's from the FFG Dark Heresy forum (and there's a nifty flamethrower video included).

http://community.fantasyflightgames.com/index.php?/topic/14215-flame-weapons/

So doing the math out on a sheet of graph paper, I've determined that if 1 square = 1 meter, an Astartes flamer can bathe a total of 91 squares (45 squares on your paper, pearldrum1) in cleansing fire and at its widest point, it will be just under 11 meters, meaning that it can hit two targets that are 10 meters apart at its widest point, in addition to whoever might be foolish enough to be standing inside its blast radius. Which is about what I'd expect.

A 30-degree cone 20 meters long is freakin' huge . One of my players (an unemployed graphic designer) created a template to scale with our miniatures- it's pretty jaw-dropping when you see it for the first time. I'll try to remember to take a picture of it at our next session and post it.

Using mathses.

Edge A=20

Edge B=20

Edge C=X
angle A=30

C ² =A ² +B ² -2AB cos(A)

X ² =20 ² +20 ² -2(20)(20) cos(30)

X ² =400+400-2(400)(0.866)

X ² =800-692.8

X ² =107.2

X=10.35

The width of the far edge of a 30 degree cone extending 20 meters is 10.35 meters.

Honestly though, real flame throwers do not simply throw fire. That is a blowtorch or bunsen burner. Flame throwers shoot a preasurised stream of liquid jellied fuel (napalm is jellied gasoline). Realistically a flame thrower would still require a too hit roll as you still have to aim the stream. As the stream has the propensity to splatter on impact they should have either a blast or the ability to "saturate" a limited area by moving the stream.

Also, flame throwers do not "light you on fire" they shoot burning fuel at you which then sticks to you. You aren't on fire, the lit gas which is sticking to you (thanks jelly) is. Amounts to the same thing.

Alas, the game isn't really realistic when it comes to flamethrowers, put it down to popular knowledge.

TOO MUCH MATH.

10m wide at 20m (range) is what the math says, we will go by this.

Good with you, FIx?

You're the DM.

Then stop being a little ***** and play.

You're the DM.

GM! What do you think this is, Dungeons & Dragons ? The Emperor will be displeased.

It is like he never learns, DDMW.

As promised, here are some pics of my friend's to-scale flamer template. The picture quality isn't very good, but you get an idea of how big it is.

Nice! Except if you're not using a 1:1 map

Ugh. Flamer range in the 40k RPGs borders on insane. IIRC, flamethrowers in world war 2 could reach, at most, about 20 feet. And that is with a full two handed unit and backpack fuel supply. Someone here is going to think, "but the technology is better in 40k", which is pretty obvious, but a person with a pint sized, hand held flame thrower should not be capable of shooting a 30 foot by 10 foot flame. It just doesn't make sense.

Range increments should be something like 3m, 6m and 10m for the whole group.

Someone here is going to think, "but the technology is better in 40k"

Not exactly, more like it's different. It's fiction!