[HoE] Value of HtH skill

[Hank Woolsey <hwoolsey@precisiongraphics.com>]

Steve Crow asked:

>And...as you noted above, the knife is universally _uneffective_ compared to
>a gun.  From a rules point of view (and the problem to some degree exists in
>Deadlands as well, where ammo isn't as rare a commodity so ammo-rarity
>doesn't seem to be the issue), why would anyone (except perhaps the most
>heavily muscled of individuals, and even then the strength is useless if the
>weapon base damage can't get through the armor) _ever_ take a HTH attack, or
>skills, or anything related to the knife/sword/whatever HTH?

At least for Deadlands (I've only had one opportunity to play HoE, 
but have played/run DL since it came out) HtH gives you a non-lethal 
option in combat.  Throw a punch in a barroom and you're likely to be 
thrown in a cell to sleep it off (even using a chair, spittoon, other 
club - pulling a knife is a little more serious, but not like a gun). 
Pull a gun in the same brawl and you'll definitely be held until 
trial.  Kill someone with that gun in that brawl and you better have 
one iron-clad defense or get ready to dance ot the end of a rope.

In HoE this seems like less of a concern, from my very limited 
experience, but I still can think of several similar situations that 
would be applicable while in town.  Killing the town bully because he 
punched you in the street seems like it would be a bad thing.  Most 
waster townsfolk may not like the bully, but I would think they would 
like the outsider who killed a member of their community even less. 
Beat him up - popularity with the townsfolk might even go up, but I 
can't see that being the case if you shoot him like a dog in the 
street.

Hank