Ranges

How does kicking ass work at different range increments, specifically if the monster/threat has a lesser range than the hunter and vice versa?

I'm guessing that the hunter would still need to roll to see if they inflict harm, and I assume that a monster isn't going to be able to reciprocate harm at a greater range than they are capable of inflicting.

For the case of the monster having a greater range increment, is there any way of the hunter attempting to prevent damage to him or herself prior to actually being able to kick ass?

If one side of a fight can't attack at the current range then, as you guessed, no harm is done. For both your cases, the most important thing is what is happening in the game, what makes sense in that context. Think about what would be the case with real monsters and hunters in that situation, and apply it using your moves.

If a hunter is, for example, sniping at a zombie then it probably won't be a kick some ass move at all. In that sort of situation, I'd just use my Keeper move apply harm as established. Kick some ass is intended for when the hunter is exchanging attacks with their enemy, so if one side isn't doing that it is usually not called for.

Closing on an enemy with greater range than the hunter would usually be an act under pressure (where the pressure is keeping out of the way of attacks). The hunter may wish to read a bad situation first, hoping to get +1 ongoing to use as they get in to range. Another way is to have someone protect them and use the "all danger is focused on me" option. Or use magic. Or they could do it totally in the game fiction, based on the terrain the fight is happening on. E.g. "while it spits flame down the alleyway, I duck into a building and start working my way through it until I can come out behind the monster."

Does that all make sense? It's early in the morning here and I feel the answer may have got overly wordy.

It does; had I gotten to the part about Kick Some Ass in the Keeper's section (specifically, page 119) I don't think I would have had the question in the first place. I think I'll wait until I read the whole thing - and perhaps once more through after that for good measure - before coming up with any other questions...

Damn, MotW is well written.

Thanks!

There's a problem that when you first meet it, kick some ass feels like an attack roll. But it's not really, it's for when a hunter and foe are both fighting hard.

There's a problem that when you first meet it, kick some ass feels like an attack roll. But it's not really, it's for when a hunter and foe are both fighting hard.

That is something that I suspect could become an issue with the group I intend to run this with; is there a general sort of timeframe that kick some ass entails - like, should it encompass an entire "scene" of fighting?

Not a whole scene, but a short exchange of blows. It's not nailed down anywhere because it depends on what's happening in the game.

Try to make sure things in the game are different afterwards - characters will have moved around, some may have suffered harm moves, and so on.