Parry and Close combat

[Kromm]

As for the two other matters entangled in this spidery thread:

Being Useful in Close Combat: Someone with a weapon too long to use in close isn't useless there. If they're grappled (by a foe or an environmental or spell effect), they can try to break free or cut their way free, as the situation dictates; if they aren't grappled, they can just leave, though they might have to evade if they're backed up against an obstacle or surrounded by foes. If you find that boring, and are skilled enough to deal with penalties for being grappled, you can attack: if you have free arms, you can use a ranged weapon (if you can tolerate the added penalty for Bulk), switch to a close-combat weapon (if you can make the DX roll), or simply shove, punch (at a damage bonus for a fist-load such as a weapon that's too long to use properly), or grapple back; if you have free legs, you can kick; if you have neither, you can bite. Finally, note that Concentrate maneuvers for special abilities are permitted, and distraction is only likely to matter if you need more than one such maneuver.

Zones of Control: These don't really exist because most maneuvers you can take let you move at least a little, perform some task, defend afterward, and tack on a number of free actions. If you can't do one of those things, it's usually because you can do even more of the rest; e.g., All-Out Attack (Double) prevents defense but gives more movement and attacks than plain old Attack. What this means is that there's so much going on that you don't also have time for free shots at enemies – not on a time scale that assumes attacking takes a second. However, you can assert zones of control with Wait; just say that if anybody passes through a given area, you'll attack them.