Why doesn't a flamethrower ...

[ChristopherGroves]

... just apply a destroyed counter instead of destroying the target out-right?

[TheFoeHammer]

Because the designers wanted to give it an immediate effect.

[mecra]

because it's the viable way of dealing with Panzergrenadiers with solders. ;) (MGs aside)

[Krieger]

Essentially, in real life, when you torched a tank, it cooked off almost immediately. So in game terms, the tank/infantry doesn't have time to counter-attack/shoot back/ect...

[Vulturedoodle]

Essentially, in real life, when you torched a tank, it cooked off almost immediately. So in game terms, the tank/infantry doesn't have time to counter-attack/shoot back/ect...
Nah, that doesn't wash. The projectile fired from a cannon is considerably faster than the flame being projected. This "immediate" destruction is the single most unreasonable thing about the special ability, IMO, and I've been puzzled by it since the game was released. What were they thinking?

Regards,
Steve F.

[Garc]

I can see immediate removal more for soldiers than for tanks - the soldier immediatly becomes preoccupied with not toasting, and so will not be able to fire back. But on a vehicle, the flame compound could a./ burn on the outside of a vehicle for a while (even going out), or b/ damage the vehicle's mechanisms, or c/ it could immediately light up the ammo & boom! (3 possibilities) Could this uncertainty principle (Heisenberg??) be reproduced in the game by a D6 roll on a vehicle hit by flamer- 1-2 it gets a disrupted counter, 3-4 disrupted/damage, 5-6 immediate boom like the soldier. too complex? too stupid?

[Tannhauser]

I suspect it's mostly for gameplay/balance reasons.

After all, why would you ever want to risk getting to short range with an Axis tank, knowing full well that it's return shot will be rolled with great handfuls of dice? With the Flamethrower as it is, you have a chance to destroy it before it destroys you.

Besides, anyone who lets the Croc get next to them deserves to lose their Tiger. ;)

[Comassion]

It's a neat ability, and what it does is make players have some interesting choices when it comes to initiative (along with defensive fire). Usually you want the other player to move first so that you can react to it, but sometimes there are opportunities to capture ground and force defensive fire, not to mention going first with a flamethrower, that make 'going second' occasionally a less advantageous choice. Abilities like defensive fire and the flamethrower mean that the player who ends up repeatedly going first isn't always at a disadvantage.

Also, it means that the flamethrower ability is the only thing in the game that can kill something with defensive fire. Japanese Arisakas and Panzergrenadiers might think twice about mobbing an infantry squad with flamethrower protection, and no vehicle will ever dare to try moving around a croc.