Melee Academy: The Opening Move Minus One

Ah, I will TAKE the trap!

Gaming Ballistic apparently has a melee academy series where tactics for melee combat are discussed. This weeks subject: how do you start the combat. I typically start with a throw-away shot since projectiles take too long for me to reload typically; throw the weapon down, take out my sword, and go to town. But shooting someone in the face isn't very melee. To me, in GURPS, however, the real winner are the moves that come before the first move. Let's take a look at some of these preparatory tactics.