User blog comment:Rikun85/The Parisian Apaches vs. the Tong Highbinders/@comment-4661256-20181211013550

El Alamein's Edges: (Stay Tuned for a Special "Dissenting Edge!")

 Short Range: Laguiole Knife vs. Chinese Chopper:  I'm not impressed by the short length of the Laguiole knife, to be quite frank. 10 cm converts to 3.93 inches, which is close to half the length of the 7 inch blade on the Chinese cleaver. Now, length alone does not make for a superior weapon, and I can see the case being made for the better design on the Laguiole translating to more dangerous injuries inflicted as a result, but there are two things to keep in mind here. One, the leader of the Tong Highbinders will be wearing mail armor, which will be quite effective against this little blade (yes, that's only one of the five men present, but that means that in any given encounter the Apaches will have a 20% chance of having their knife rendered largely ineffective). Two, and more importantly, the gangsters wielding these weapons are not likely trained to use their weapons with any particular attention to technique, so the bigger blade of the "Chinese chopper" will probably end up working in favor of the brutal street-fighting style of these gangs. For those reasons, I will give the edge to the Tong Highbinders for the "Chinese chopper."

Edge: Tong Highbinders

 Mid Range: Leaded Walking Cane vs. Butterfly Swords:  The leaded walking cane does admittedly have a nice reach advantage. Theoretically, the Parisian Apaches could employ it in an effort to keep their opponents at bay and prevent them from closing the distance to make use of their better close-ranged weapons, but in practice I doubt the Parisians will be able to pull this off with any consistency. The butterfly swords has the benefit of an actual blade, as well as a hand guard, and it is designed with a modicum of technique in mind. While it may be doubtful that the Highbinders will actually use this weapon accordingly, I suspect that the straightforward design of the weapon will mean that irrespective of training or skill, the natural design of the butterfly swords will help the Highbinders use them more effectively than the Parisians will use the cane, which is not designed to be used as a weapon.

Edge: Tong Highbinders

 Long Range: Bulldog vs. Colt Navy:  If I may offer a criticism when it comes to your presentation of the firearms, it helps to have consistent information with both weapons. You note that the Bulldog is double-action, but don't provide any corresponding information on the Colt Navy revolver. Similarly, you noted in Discord that the Colt Navy revolvers had an issue with reliability that meant not all six cylinders would be fully loaded, which would be far more useful to post here, in case someone hasn't seen it on the Discord channel.

At any rate, I give a nominal edge to the Bulldog revolver, primarily because, as a double-action revolver, it will fire more quickly than the Colt Navy. I'm not overly concerned about effective range here since it's not likely that either side will be pulling off any feats of marksmanship in this fight.

Edge: Parisian Apaches

EL ALAMEIN'S DISSENTING EDGE: APACHE REVOLVER VS. HATCHET:

At the time of my writing this vote, every single other voter on this battle has given the edge to the Apache Revolver, and I cannot express my disagreement in strong enough terms. Why? Well, let's look at the many flaws in the revolver's design.

The revolver has no barrel. This makes it incredibly inaccurate and gives in an extremely limited range, instantly negating two of the biggest advantages that a gun has over a melee weapon. The gun can't even be reloaded in a way that doesn't require the weapon to be practically disassembled, making it the worst firearm present in this fight that includes the problem-riddled Colt Navy revolver.

A lot of people are hinging their vote on the logic that a bullet is instantly and always more lethal than a non-firearm, for reasons that I can sympathize with but must ultimately dispel as little more than myth. Contemporary police forces largely adhere to the "21-foot rule," which claims that an assailant with a bladed weapon can reliably reach an officer armed with a pistol if he is within 21 feet of the officer. This is a combination of the assailant's running speed and the officer's reaction time, along with the stress of having to fire at a moving, approaching target in a short window of time. (If you are interested, you can even read this article: http://www.policemag.com/channel/weapons/articles/2014/09/revisiting-the-21-foot-rule.aspx If anything, this article hints that the "21-foot rule" may not actually be accurate in that the distance in which an assailant could reach a pistol-toting opponent may even be greater .) Additionally, the 21-foot rule applies specifically to trained police officers, not street-brawling gangsters who will have much sloppier reaction times and accuracy with their weapons.

The Apache revolver's range is most likely well under 21 feet, since it has no barrel. But let's generously assume that the Parisian Apache carrying this woeful excuse for a weapon manages to land a hit on the Tong Highbinder rushing him with a hatchet. Unless if that bullet strikes the brain or severs the spine, the Tong Highbinder will likely be able to push through the pain thanks to adrenaline and hack the Parisian's pistol-toting wrist right off his arm.

Having thoroughly discounted the Apache revolver's firearm-related combat capabilities, we now effectively have a contest of hatchet vs. little bayonet and brass knuckles. The Apache bayonet is even shorter than the Laguiole knife, so not only will it be completely worthless against the one mail-wearing Highbinder, but probably pretty useless against an unarmored opponent too, since a bayonet under two inches (according to Wikipedia, this is the Apache bayonet's length) is going to have a hard time reliably hitting anything vital. The brass knuckles similarly will not compare to the hatchet.

In conclusion, a hatchet would normally not fare well against a gun or a bayonet (it should beat brass knuckles most of the time), but because the Apache revolver is such an abysmally worthless weapon, the hatchet gets a massive edge.

Edge: Tong Highbinders

 Armor: Porcupine Armor vs. Mail Vest:  Easy edge for the mail vest. It's got a practical use against bladed weaponry and doesn't impede the wearer's ability to move around in the way that the porcupine armor might. Additionally, the porcupine armor is specifically designed to protect against bare-handed attacks, which will mean little when bullets, swords, and hatchets will be the primary source of danger. Yes, the porcupine armor can be used as a weapon, but if you're forced to swing your spike-covered forearm at the sword-wielding opponent in the middle of a firefight, then you're probably dead anyway.

Edge: Tong Highbinders

WINNER: TONG HIGHBINDERS

Despite the fact that they get the edge with their Bulldog revolver, which is arguably the most important category in this fight, the Parisian Apaches lose this one. Firstly, their pistol edge is not significant enough, in my opinion, because while their weapon is better, the Parisians as operators will probably end up, functionally, in a draw with the Highbinders when it comes to trading potshots in an alleyway fight. When it comes down to bladed weapons, then (as it will), the Highbinders absolutely dominate. The Parisian Apaches are bringing a tiny knife, a cane, and a piece of garbage against a meat cleaver, a pair of swords, and a hatchet, and there's no way that the Parisians will be able to hold their own against this weapon imbalance. Throw in the fact that the leader of the Highbinders will be able to survive any glancing blows from the laughable bladed arsenal of the opposition, while the Parisian leader's porcupine armor is basically useless in this fight, and the outcome is pretty clear-cut. As warriors, neither team is especially impressive, but the Highbinders make up for their lack of skill with a pretty decent arsenal, while the Parisian Apaches' problems will only be compounded with a mostly rubbish loadout.