Weapon Length and Closing Confusion

[KPhan2121]

I have a few questions about Weapon Length and the Closing Rules. To get this straight, when a short weapon user charges at a long weapon user, the long weapon user gets to strike first regardless of the actual DEX rank. That counts as their Action for the combat round right? So what happens if the long weapon user already attacked (against another target) earlier in the combat round, I'm assuming that the long weapon user doesn't get to make that attack and the short weapon user doesn't need to make a dodge check before attacking. That makes sense to me like if this is a situation where a duo of short weapon users could overwhelm a lone long weapon user.

If the long weapon user doesn't actively keep a short weapon user at bay, does that mean the short weapon user can just waltz into the close distance of long weapon user after he successfully dodges the long weapon user's first strike? Or is closing a separate action and the short weapon user just moves close enough to attack and retreats back to his original position?

Lastly, is the dodge roll for closing an opposed skill check if the long weapon user is actively keeping him at bay? 

[Kloster]

The longest weapon is able to attack first, but the target does not matter. If it's owner used his attack against another opponent, too bad for him, the shortest weapon can attack.

[KPhan2121]

On 3/8/2021 at 12:47 PM, Kloster said:

The longest weapon is able to attack first, but the target does not matter. If it's owner used his attack against another opponent, too bad for him, the shortest weapon can attack.

Thanks for the answer, I still have some follow up questions I'd like to ask.

Would you still need to make a dodge check to attack him? On page 235 of the BGB, it states that the character with the shorter weapon "cannot attack until Dodging successfully".

And this goes into the 2nd part of the question, does it count as a Closing action? On page 219 it states that a character that wants to close on a target needs to make a successful Dodge roll if being "kept at bay".

And there's two interpretations of the rule with this. With the Close Combat and Closing Spot Rules, it sounds like that a shorter weapon user can make an attack after the longer weapon user makes his first strike. This is because keeping shorter weapon users at bay is an active action that replaces a normal attack and that it must be opposed by a Dodge Check.

Now, with the Weapon Length Spot Rule, it states that the shorter weapon user cannot attack the longer weapon user without Dodging successfully first, which sounds like a Closing action since the following paragraph states that the longer weapon user cannot attack once that happens.

Which of these interpretations is the correct one?

[Baron Wulfraed]

Just a wild opinion here, but I'd likely interpret it that IF the wielder of longer weapon has used it to attack some third party, then that weapon is "out of position" to be an effect on the wielder of the shorter weapon. IE; as if WLW has no weapon or is turned to the side.

[Kloster]

I would say it is a closing action. I would play it that way.

[KPhan2121]

On 3/9/2021 at 11:41 PM, Kloster said:

I would say it is a closing action. I would play it that way.

Alrighty. Thanks for your input.

On 3/9/2021 at 6:35 PM, Baron Wulfraed said:

Just a wild opinion here, but I'd likely interpret it that IF the wielder of longer weapon has used it to attack some third party, then that weapon is "out of position" to be an effect on the wielder of the shorter weapon. IE; as if WLW has no weapon or is turned to the side.

Well the scenario that I had in mind was two short weapon users engaging one long weapon user so it's not like the LWU is attacking some rando, but I get your point. Barring the Keeping at Bay action, which can keep any number of shorter weapon users from attacking at the expense of making your own attack. The long weapon would be "out of position" to keep a 2nd SWU from charging into close combat and shanking him with his dagger.