Taking advantage of long weapon range

[MaoYoruichi 11]

How would a PC take advantage of the additional range provided by a yari or naginata against an opponent using a katana? 

Assuming the PC isn't using Iron Forest Style, the rules state that when choosing a stance, they may move up to 2 range bands in a Skirmish, or move 1 band after taking an action.

Let's say they start at range 1 of each other. Naginata user moves to range 2 of their opponent and strikes, then using Water Stance to move to range 3. In Katana User's turn, he moves 2 range bands in any stance and then strikes. 

So what's the advantage of a long weapon if someone with a shorter weapon can just move up to you in their turn and attack? What am I misunderstanding?

Edited October 13, 2017 by MaoYoruichi

[AtoMaki 1,431]

Shifting terrain with Opportunity. Say, you strike, and use the Opportunity to say "the floor opens up into a hole my opponent has to bypass to get me" - thus you can poke your enemy one more time across the hole until he catches up with you. And once he does, you rinse and repeat. 

This is just an example, but you can get really creative with longer weapon range + narrative Opportunity uses. 

[WHW 1,817]

You can strike someone with a weapon as long as you were in range to do so at any point of the action resolution. This opens up...possibilities with Water Opportunities. 

[Magnus Grendel 11,673]

On 10/13/2017 at 7:05 PM, AtoMaki said:

Shifting terrain with Opportunity. Say, you strike, and use the Opportunity to say "the floor opens up into a hole my opponent has to bypass to get me" - thus you can poke your enemy one more time across the hole until he catches up with you. And once he does, you rinse and repeat. 

This is just an example, but you can get really creative with longer weapon range + narrative Opportunity uses. 

Okay, "instant hole" may be pushing it a bit, but yes,  anything that can deny them movement - terrain, immobilised conditions, intervening dudes.

Plus, its far more noticable with a range 0 weapon (knife, jitte, or whatever) because such a foe can't moveso as to geta strike on a range 3 target (barring charge,  opportunities, etc.)

[DarkIxion 10]

There are lots of things you can do narratively with a longer range. Hit someone from atop a wall, for example. But I want to draw you away from the idea that the yari and naginata are better because of their range. Where these weapons shine is their damage and wargear quality. The yari does 5 damage and the naginata does 6. The yari has lower deadliness, but makes up for that by being harder to destroy (since it doesn’t have the razor edged quality). The Naginata is more deadly than a katana wielded in one hand at 6, but less deadly than one used in two hands. Overall, the Naginata is just a more lethal weapon. It’s like asking why you would use an assault rifle over a pistol. Because it does more damage.

Then there is wargear. Wargear increases the amount of strife you inflict on enemies. What’s not to like about more strife?

[MaoYoruichi 11]

On 22/10/2017 at 3:35 AM, DarkIxion said:

There are lots of things you can do narratively with a longer range. Hit someone from atop a wall, for example. But I want to draw you away from the idea that the yari and naginata are better because of their range. Where these weapons shine is their damage and wargear quality. The yari does 5 damage and the naginata does 6. The yari has lower deadliness, but makes up for that by being harder to destroy (since it doesn’t have the razor edged quality). The Naginata is more deadly than a katana wielded in one hand at 6, but less deadly than one used in two hands. Overall, the Naginata is just a more lethal weapon. It’s like asking why you would use an assault rifle over a pistol. Because it does more damage.

Then there is wargear. Wargear increases the amount of strife you inflict on enemies. What’s not to like about more strife?

Yeah this cleared it up. I wasn't thinking about narrative opportunities, and you make a really good point about them being generally more dangerous weapons, and wargear is nothing to scoff at.