Looking for feedback on a move used to represent the advantage given by a weapon with reach:
When you use your superior reach to hold an enemy at bay, roll +STR. On a 10+, you deal damage to your enemy and the enemy remains at your weapon’s reach. On a 7-9, your enemy may choose to take damage and close with you, or avoid taking damage by staying beyond your reach.
I’ve only had a single player with reach weapons once, but the following happened.
He charged two soldiers, swinging his spear in a wide arc. He rolled a partial succes. He dealt damage enough to kill one of them, so he did, but as the enemies didn’t have sufficient reach, they couldn’t deal damage. The survivor “attacked” the fighter by blocking his sweep, and stepping into range. The fighter couldn’t hack and slash until he got at proper range again.
I find this is a splendid way to handle it, because it handles any situation in which your enemy is at a disadvantage.
If you attack an enemy with an advantage in range, you’ll have to defy danger to attack him. Just as they had a bow or similar.
The point: I think you are about to make an unnecessary move, one that is prompted by lack of understanding of the range tags. If I’m wrong about that, disregard this comment.
I have been letting my player with a reach weapon get through the reach of other monsters without having to defy danger… they have been pretty happy about this, since Goblins, Trolls, and Ogres all have reach, and they have been fighting a bunch of those!
Thanks for the feedback guys. The primary purpose of the move is a mix of defensive and offensive, to try to keep the enemy at range with the threat of punishment for trying to close. The move overlaps somewhat with Hack and Slash, Defend, and Parley (the threatening aspect), but I think it is different enough to deserve its own move. If you can think of an application of existing moves that match this effect, please let me know.