Looks to me that Close Combat attacks are much more dangerous for the attacker than Range Combats, they have a ~50% chance (on equal characters’ attributes) to be counter-productive. Using your round to make a Close Combat looks to me like a no-good investment because you are giving your target also an attack round over you.
Should not be better if the attacker has some kind of bonus over the target? (I know: in case of a tie the attacker wins, is this enough bonus?)
Yeah being able to attack from range is a lot better when you are able to do it. But having a bow in your hands when you are being surrounded by a group of goblins in a tight corridor is not going to do you any good, so there are situations where ranged weapons simple aren't an option. Close combat is dangerous so players should try to avoid it or try to stack the odds in their favor. For example, they can try to only pick fights with creatures they know are weaker than them or try to catch a bigger foe off guard so they can get a Buff on their attack. The rules merely sketch out what happens when both sides are evenly matched, clever adventurers will try to use the world around them to shift that balance in their favor.
