I am running a Makashi Duelist. I have a question

If I have read the rules correctly if I engage someone with a pistol in melee, all they have to do is use a maneuver to step back and they can blast away with not only no penalty but since it is so close they only have 1 difficulty die.

This seems like Blaster Pistols are some of the best Melee weapons in the game.

Am I reading the rules about disengaging correctly?

Yes. Blaster pistols are pretty effective weapons, and they are designed to be as such. This game favors ranged combat, so to be an effective melee combatant, you've gotta put some serious effort into it. "Don't bring a knife to a gun fight," and all that.

However, blaster pistols aren't equivalent melee weapons. There are a few drawbacks to using a blaster while engaged with an opponent, especially an opponent who has strong hand-to-hand abilities. Additionally, melee weapons often have Pierce/Breach ratings, lower critical ratings, and cool things like Defensive or Disorient to help make up for their inferiority to blasters.

To add to that:

Sunder

Feint

Disarm (both through the talent, and conventional Advantage expenditure)

Sunder especially since it's Advantage cost is all of 1, so it's super easy to damage or destroy a weapon in one or two attacks.

Thanks for your suggestions and answers, I think I was just attached to the idea from other games that disengaging from Melee is difficult etc.

I am loving the Makashi Duelist, and the fact that I don't have reflect makes me feel brave. LOL I just wish when they were that close I could parry the pistol.

Thanks for your suggestions and answers, I think I was just attached to the idea from other games that disengaging from Melee is difficult etc.

I am loving the Makashi Duelist, and the fact that I don't have reflect makes me feel brave. LOL I just wish when they were that close I could parry the pistol.

Don't forget that qualities like Ensnare can be used to immobilize the target which prevents them from backing off. A target that is knocked prone by Knockdown must spend a maneuver to get back up before they can spend a maneuver disengaging. This leaves minions unable to disengage and fire, and other targets have to suffer strain in order to take the 2nd maneuver before their action, which will prevent aiming.

And if I am interpreting the disengagement rules correctly, if an engaged target is disarmed and the weapon lands within short range, it will still take two maneuvers just to get to the weapon. (One maneuver to disengage, the other maneuver to move to the weapon). So there are definitely some things that can be done to prevent them from just disengaging or to make disengaging more costly.