The strategy we've usually used against pole weapon wielders is:
Don't run straight up to them. Instead, stop one or two hexes away,
change weapons if you were wielding a missile weapon, THEN step up
to engage them. That denies them the set-spear attack (you were
coming in too slow for it to work); they might get in a jab attack,
but that's comparatively weak IIRC. Or engage them from a side or
rear hex, or wait for them to charge-attack you and hope they miss,
or just take them out with missile fire.
I don't remember exactly what the rules are concerning this, but no
one charges straight down the throat of a guy with a spear because
it's stupid.
- Meg
On Oct 6, 2011, at 8:22 AM, Sgt Hulka wrote:
This is the primary reason I play Melee instead of Advanced Melee.
Advanced Melee adds a lot of great things to the game, and it
codifies a lot, but all that goes completely down the drain due to
the rule that Pole Weapons always go first. The result is that Pole
Weapons dominate the game. Your character must, MUST have a pole
weapon or he/she is dead meat. You must start with a spear in your
hand, hope that you do enough damage in the charge/reception of
charge to prevent your opponent from striking with his/her halberd,
and then shift to a sword once engaged. One could argue that's
historically accurate, but it certainly loses some fun.
It's easy to house rule that requirement away, of course.