Parrying I'm pretty sure it is a complex action but I couldn't find it in the book. Is parrying in game basically a complex action? So if you were in a fist fight and you wanted to parry your action would be done and you couldn't hit back if you went second, right?Parry (reaction+weapon skill)...

Parrying is not an action, it happens anytime you are wielding a weapon and are attacked in melee and choose to use your melee combat skill to defend.

Full Parry is a Complex action, you can claim it at any time and it consumes your next complex action, but if you are in full parry you get it against all incoming melee attacks, until your next action.

You are eligible to parry any incoming melee attack if you are wielding a weapon, as many as you like, unlimited, at no cost of an action ever.

The way full parry works is you declare it as what they call an interrupt action and you get a bonus to all your future parrys until your next action. This however costs you your next complex action.

EDIT: I should note that the the caveat "if you are wielding a weapon" is only there because if you are using unarmed to defend against a melee attack it is called a block.

To clarify:
You always get your reaction.

Parry is Reaction + Melee Combat Skill apropriate to the weapon wielded.
Block is Reaction + Unarmed Combat Skill
Dodge is Reaction + Dodge skill, you do not have to be wielding a weapon.

These are free and you can do one of them any time you are attacked in melee with no loss of action.

If you choose Full Parry, you get Reaction + Melee Skill + Melee Skill
If you choose Full Block you get Reaction + Unarmed + Unarmed
If you choose Full Dodge You get Reaction + Dodge + Dodge against Melee, and Reaction + Dodge vs. Ranged.

This costs your next complex action.

By the rules, there's no such thing as Full Block.
But there's Gymnastic Dodge in which IMO you roll Reaction + Dodge + Gymnastics. Can also be used in Ranged Combat. Daa-a.

Full Parry technically allows you to use Unarmed, so it is basically Full Block. It's a failure in consistancy of termonology IMO.

And if you use Gymnastics dodge in ranged combat you only get Reaction + Gymnastics not Reaction + Dodge + Gymnastics.

Actually if you take a gander at p 150 you get -1 to your defense roll for every additional attack you avoid. I think that's one of those rules people tend to forget along with the range on small arms.

Anyway my issue with the system is being able to block a monowhip. Personally I think there are some things you should have to dodge or parry. Especially things with reach where you can't just grab the other guys arm like in a knife fight.

I'm going to side with lorechaser, also I don't want to necropost another monowhip debate thread.

Well I think all the basic rules are here now. Just pay attention to all the modifiers. There are a bunch of them, and they add flavor to the game.

I agree with lorechaser and Jack Kain. You need to move farther in the direction of "SR melee combat is an abstraction". When you "block", they are not standing in front of you swinging once and you're blocking once. "Block" is just a short way of saying "avoid being hit by using your unarmed skill, which could consist of blocking and/or misdirecting the weapon and/or hand of the opponent, or by feinting, which can include a nearly infinite number of possible actions and tactics, or any other of a number tactics gleaned from your unarmed training which causes them to attack in a less than optimal or perhaps more predictable way, or possibly just to use your unarmed training to get out of the way" which is different from "dodge" which is sort of short for "avoid being hit by using your skill at staying away from dangerous things, which may include mainting distance, interposing environmental objects, or perhaps an incredibly finely honed 'duck' reflex."

Whew, okay, that's enough "gratuitous" quotes for "now", I'll "try" to "avoid" doing it in the "future." " "