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Originally Posted by Simon Atavax

2. In combat, why would PCs ever declare their action to be "set weapons to receive a charge"? Because as I read the RAW, it seems that actions in combat are declared BEFORE knowing what the monsters are going to do (thus giving a more simultaneous feel to things). But wouldn't setting weapons to receive a charge be the kind of thing the PCs would only do in RESPONSE to seeing the monsters charge?

I'm going to come at this in a different direction, because I think the other answers got derailed a bit by the initiative question.

Obviously, we're talking about the 1E polearms here. To my knowledge, yes, characters have to declare "setting" weapons before they know a charge will take place. (Just like in 3E with the "ready" action, 3E's equivalent to this whole process.)

A couple things: My understanding is that 1E polearms weren't much intended for dungeoneering PC's in the first place. They're (a) big with a troublesome space-required figure, (b) very slow speed factor, (c) likely to have enemies get under your weapon and give up multiple attacks (by the complicated full DMG initiative rules). They're presented as a simulative add-on because they were important on medieval battlefields. The extra damage is only against charging Large-sized opponents (i.e., cavalry horses), excepting spears.

So it makes a bit more sense if you think how non-PCs will use them. They're in a mass formation outside in a large encounter. Maybe you've got a big array of soldiers/orcs who are facing down the PCs with them. Or maybe you've got a line of henchmen/hirelings hunkered down, protecting the party wizard while he casts spells. While it might be troubling to think of a PC "wasting an action" readying a polearm, it's not so troubling if you think of it in the hands of an associate in a larger party, as 1E was intended to play out.


As a side note, I'm philosophically against declaring action before initiative (except for spellcasting), so the problem of "can you change your action?" doesn't arise for me. Intelligent enemies are definitely capable of deciding to not charge a mass of polearms (in fact, that's actually the... um... point).