Doubts about ranged attacks

Hi everybody:

I have noticed in my blog's stats that there have been some people reaching my blog with the following query in Google: "dudas reglas dragones mazmorras parker atacar distancia" ("dungeons dragons parker (hasbro) ranged attacks rules doubts" in English).

For those who have some doubts, I have to remind you I will try to answer all your questions in the comments section of the F.A.Q.

Lets start with the basics:

1. In the Players Guide from the basic board game (page 9) it is said:
   
   "There are two types of attack available:
• Melée attacks are close combat attacks that can only be used when standing next to an opponent (not diagonally).
  
• Ranged attacks can be used only over greater distances or diagonally. Unless otherwise stated, ranged weapons fire single shots in a straight line. The centre of the opponent’s square must be in clear sight of the centre of the Hero firing the weapon’s square."
  
  
2. In the next paragraph the concept of line of sight is explained:
   
   "Pillars, trees and walls block ranged weapons. A Hero does not block another Hero’s shot and a Monster does not block another Monster’s shot."
   
3. In some weapons from the "Forbidden forest" expansion pack (the staffs) you can find the following quote:
   "May melee attack into any adjacent space, even diagonally".
   

Now I will try to give you a good combat example in which the previously explained rules are used:

Morkhan and Lidda are fighting against a bugbear, a ogre and a gnoll while a goblin waits for them in an adjoining room. Lets suppose that there is a column between Lidda and the gnoll.

Morkhan uses his "Barbarian Battelaxe" (melée attack) and Lidda uses her "Relentless Bolass" (ranged attack).

List of possible and impossible attacks:

• Morkhan can melée attack the ogre without making a movement action before but to melée attack the gnoll he would have to move in order to be "next to" it. He can not melée attack the bugbear in this turn because his movement of 5 doesn't allow him to reach it and attack it. He can not attack the goblin because it is in a different room.
  
  Why can Morkhan melée attack the ogre and not the gnoll? Because the spaces considered to be adjacent are the ones directly up, down, right and left of the space he is taking up and therefore, only the monsters in those spaces will be "next to" him. If the barbarian used as a weapon a staff like the ones used by the druids Elwick or Orwick from the "Forbidden forest" expansion pack, he could melée attack into any adjacent space, even diagonally and hit the gnoll.
  
  
• Lidda can attack nobody (it doesn't matter if using a melée or ranged attack) without making a movement action first.
  Why? Because the column blocks her line of sight in order to attack the gnoll or the ogre using her ranged weapon. Lidda can not attack the bugbear because her bolass are a ranged weapon and the bugbear is "next to" her. The rogue can not attack the goblin because it is in a different room. She can move two or three spaces right to use her ranged weapon against the gnoll and/or the ogre for example.
  
  
• The bugbear can attack Lidda because she is "next to" it. It can not attack the barbarian without making a movement action first because he is to far.
  
  Why? Because although the bugbear's movemnet is 4 and Morkhan's is 5, the bugbear can reach the barbarian as it is said in the Players Guide (page 6): "Monsters can move through other Monsters, but not through Heroes.". So the bugbear would pass through the gnoll.
  
  
• The gnoll can attack Morkhan using its ranged attack but not using its melée attack and it can not attack Lidda without making a movement action first.
  
  Why? Because Morkhan is not "next to" it. He is in a space diagonally adjacent. It can not attack Lidda because the column blocks its line of sight but if it moves 2 spaces up or left, it has free line of sight to make a ranged attack (even through its bugbear fellow) or if it moves 2 spaces up and then 1 space more left, it can melée attack the rogue.
  
  
• The ogre can melée attack Morkhan and, if it makes a movement action first, it can attack Lidda using its ranged attack.
  
  Why? Because it is in an adjacent space to the barbarian's so that it is "next to" him. Its movement is 3 so it could not reach Lidda in this turn to malée attack her later but it can move 1 space up to have free line of sight and attack her using its ranged attack.
  
  
• The goblin can attack nobody as it is in a different room. If between its current space and the following down space there were an open door and it was a goblin archer, it would have direct free line of sight to attack the barbarian from the distance.
  
  Could it attack Morkhan even if they were in different rooms? Yes. As long as there were direct free line of sight, it could attack the barbarian being even in a different map tile.

I hope this little tutorial has remove all you doubts about melée and ranged attacks. If somebody has a question about attacks (like breath attacks or cold auras from the "Eternal winter" expansion pack, or charge attacks from the "Forbidden forest" expansion pack for example), I will try to answer them as best as I can.