<< Strafe: Weapon, Hand-to-Hand • When attacking with this weapon, you may choose an adjacent target (as usual) or a target at range 2. When
attacking with Strafe, add one additional die to your attack roll. Additionally, if you roll at least one Natural 10 on your attack roll, the target rolls two fewer dice when making his Shock Roll. >>

"... or a target at range 2." So what?

Back when weapons had minimum ranges, this could allow Eva to attack with Strafe without the possibility of a counterattack. Under the new rules, what difference does this phrase make?

Thanks, Don

It allows a hand to hand weapon attack 2 circles away.

True, but that's obvious. My point is that Strafe originally had a particular ability to make H-t-H attacks that could not be counterattacked that it no longer has. Without this ability, there doesn't seem to be much point in the "range 2" addition, especially since Eva already has a ranged weapon that doesn't allow counterattacks.

Unless... does the "range 2" addition mean that Eva's Hand-to-Hand attacks with Strafe can extend some of the specific Hand-to-Hand benefits to range 2? Can she attack with Strafe at range 2 in Smoke? Can she attack with Strafe at range two off-path, through a door?

Don

Strafe never haid such an ability.

In the original rules, close-combat weapons had a min range of 2, and Strafe a Max range of 2, so they could younter attack, if they had a Pistol or alike, wich, of course, wasn't alwys the case.

The Original Special ability was, that the target couldn't make a shock roll after a Natural 10, dealing all sucesses as automatic wounds.

Range 2 still means the same as before: you can attack a target on a non adjecent circle. Thats it. And thats always been.

The door question is a good one. Problem here is that the rules are not conclusive.

Page 17 (Sighting rules) States that Hand to Hand rules can be made through doors if the target is "still on an adjecent circle"

thiis could mean: a) Hand to ahnd attacks through doors are legal, of the target is still in the legal range for this attack usually adjecent.

b) only if adjecent

Page 21 states that a target for any attack must be either on the same path, or on an adjecent circle, and if not adjecent it has to be pistol, automatic or mental, for attacking adjecency, there is not trait requirement.

this can be interpret as, that any weapon can attack adjecent circles, regardless of paths, wich would contradict the statement, only HtH could attack through doors.

But Page 14 now says "characters who do not share a path cannot generally see or attack each other."

My All in all Interpretaion would be that HtH can Attack adjecent circles, even if not sharing a path with the target(meaning you can't only attack thriugh doors, also through curtains)

Strafe Cannot attack through at range 2 (would be weird) or curtains (would be inconsequent) or in Smoke (Since its explicetly says "only adjecent attacking"

DHFrew3 said:

I don't think this rule segment infers any of the above "extensions." The reason it says you can attack adjacent or at range 2 is because the new rules are a complete re-write . Nothing from the old rules carries over "automatically" to the new rules. If they didn't add the "at range 2" part then Strafe would NOT be able to attack targets two spaces away in the new rules. Ever. Everything has to be reiterated or it doesn't count anymore. That's the only reason it says this.

Re: Urd's comments...

When I mentioned that in the old rules Strafe had the ability to make H-t-H attacks without a counterattack, I meant under some specific conditions, e.g. when the victim had no weapons or only had H-t-H, automatic, or heavy weapons. This came up quite often, in my experience, and was one of the things that made Eva so deadly. I won over 75% of the 30+ Tannhauser games I played under the old rules, always playing the Reich, and would specifically look for opportunities to take advantage of this aspect of Strafe.

Under the new rules, with no minimum ranges, this aspect of her use of Strafe has gone away. Without it, I don't see much use to the added range of 2.

I agree with the rest of your analysis, however.

Thanks,

Don

Yes, the "bonus" of the wuite often result of no legel counter attack in the old rules is gone. It makes Strafe a bit weaker, but easier, since positioning isn't so curcial. Also the range 2 is now a mere Bonus, but this one circle may come in handy from time to time, when you would else need this extra circle to move, or when you just want wo whip someone and then run away.