Unbalanced weapons: ready after attack or not?

[Allensh]

Saw reference to being able to now attack with an axe every turn if you don't parry with it. I know what the book says but it is slightly ambiguous. Does there exist anywhere a quote from Dr. Kromm on this topic? (Not asking for a new one, looking for an existing one). Reason is, a friend insists the old rule of "you have to re-ready an axe after every swing" still applies. Is this true?

Allen

[Refplace]

Not sure if this is enough to help you but from MA....
Parry: The modifier to parry when using the weapon with
the indicated skill. “F” means the weapon is a fencing
weapon (see p. B404). “U” means it’s unbalanced and can’t
parry on the turn it attacks. “No” means it can’t parry!

And

ST: The minimum ST needed to wield the weapon properly;
fighters with lower ST suffer -1 to skill per point of ST
deficit. Effective ST for damage purposes can’t exceed triple
the listed ST. “†” means the weapon requires two hands; “‡”
means it requires two hands and becomes unready after an
attack unless you have at least 1.5 times the listed ST.

So an Axe cant parry on the turn you attack with it but there is an optional rule I think using defensive attack.

[Ulzgoroth]

Originally Posted by Allensh

Saw reference to being able to now attack with an axe every turn if you don't parry with it. I know what the book says but it is slightly ambiguous. Does there exist anywhere a quote from Dr. Kromm on this topic? (Not asking for a new one, looking for an existing one). Reason is, a friend insists the old rule of "you have to re-ready an axe after every swing" still applies. Is this true?

Allen

You don't need a Kromm-quote, though one might exist, you just need to make your friend read the Basic Set. Pages 269 and 270 in particular.

The thing which is actually called 'Unbalanced' in the Basic Set (and maybe shouldn't be due to confusion) is the U parry modifier. Which is defined on page 269 with "you cannot use it to parry if you have already used it to attack this turn (or vice versa)." It is also mentioned on p376, consistent with the prior definition. Nearly all axes or axe-like weapons have this feature (there is one exception in the basic set and a few others elsewhere). If using Martial Arts rules, a Defensive Attack maneuver can allow you to attack with such a weapon and still parry with it.

There are two traits a weapon can have that may result in it becoming unready after attacking. The † and ‡ modifiers on the weapon's ST stat, defined on page 270, mean that depending on the user's strength and number of hands used the weapon may become unready after an attack. This is also mentioned on pages 369 and 383, consistently with the prior definition (though someone extrapolating from those bits of text having not actually read the rules on page 270 might get the wrong idea). Notably, in the Basic Set all two-handed axe-like attacks are ‡, meaning that if the user doesn't have significantly more than the base ST requirement they will need to Ready the weapon after each attack. This isn't true of one-handed axes, and in other books you'll find two-handed axe/mace weapon stat-lines that don't have ‡.

[roguebfl]

Originally Posted by Ulzgoroth

You don't need a Kromm-quote, though one might exist, you just need to make your friend read the Basic Set. Pages 269 and 270 in particular.

oh it does exist 8)
[Help] A problem with parry and unbalanced weapons.

Originally Posted by Kromm

If it will help, here it is from the line developer, who has managed the game for 14 years and who revised the latest edition:

All that a "U" on a weapon's Parry stat means is that you cannot use it to parry after making an attack. That's it, that's all. It has nothing to do with readying the weapon. Barring a note on ST that says otherwise, a weapon with a U on its Parry can attack every turn. It just can't attack and parry.

To learn whether a weapon takes time to ready after an attack, you must look at the ST stat, not the Parry stat. A † on ST doesn't generally mean that the weapon becomes unready, only that it requires two hands. It will require a turn to ready only if you use it one-handed without at least twice the listed ST. The rarer ‡ usually does mean that the weapon becomes becomes unready after you attack with it . . . unless you have at least 1.5 times the listed ST and use it two-handed or three times listed ST and use it one-handed.

The term "unbalanced" is sometimes used for weapons with any of the three marks above, but it's loose usage. The specific stats are the final authority, and those work as noted above. In general, U doesn't imply the effects of † or ‡. These three things are independent of one another.

[Allensh]

Originally Posted by roguebfl

oh it does exist 8)
[Help] A problem with parry and unbalanced weapons.

Thank you. That does seem to have fixed the issue :)

Allen