Long Weapon Tactics

The Attack maneuver lets you step before or after you attack.
Stepping after you attack in melee combat can give you the upper hand
if your weapon has more reach than your opponent’s. Suppose you
have a spear and your adversary has a broadsword. You could attack
from two hexes away and then step back, ending your turn three hexes
from your foe. Since his weapon has a one-hex reach, he could not
reach you with an Attack, as the Attack maneuver limits him to a one-
yard step (of course, a foe with Move 11 or higher could step farther).
To strike back, he would have to take an All-Out Attack or a Move and
Attack . . . either of which would restrict his defenses, leaving him open
to your next attack! And even if he does get close enough to attack, you
can always retreat when you defend . . .
Some weapons have more than
one reach. For instance, a knife can
slash at “close” and one-yard reach.
With a spear, you can have a reach of
either one or two yards, depending on
how you hold it. Larger pole weapons
can have a reach of one, two, or three
yards!
Most weapons with a reach of two
or more yards require a Ready maneu-
ver to “change grips” and go from one
reach to another. For instance, if you
are holding a halberd with a grip that
lets you strike three hexes away, you
have to ready it for one turn before
you can use it to strike someone one
or two hexes away. A few balanced
weapons (e.g., the greatsword and
quarterstaff) let you attack at more
than one reach without taking a Ready
maneuver. The Melee Weapon Table
shows which weapons require a grip
change and which do not.
Note that if you’re very large, your
reach will increase – see Size Modifier
and Reach (p. 402).