[KCD1] [KCD2] Can you give me advice on hardcore playthroughs of KCD 1 and KCD 2?

I recently finished Kingdom Come: Deliverance 1 on normal mode. Honestly, the game didn’t really click with me at first. But when it went on sale for 3€ with all the DLCs, I grabbed it to finally give it a proper go before the sequel comes out. What really motivated me was trying the KCD 2 demo at Gamescom in Köln last year. I really enjoyed it and knew I wanted to get into the series properly.

In KCD 1, I didn't have the courage to start on Hardcore, even though a lot of people say that's the best way to play. So I played through the story on normal, did a few side quests, started one DLC, and finished the game in around 50 hours.

Two weeks ago, I bought KCD 2. And again, I went with normal difficulty, thinking I might replay it later on Hardcore. I'm loving it so far. I spent nearly 50 hours just doing side stuff before even getting to the wedding quest. Now I’ve finished that and I'm close to 60 hours in.

Here’s why I’m posting. I’ve got one fact and two dilemmas.

The fact: I’ll definitely finish KCD 2 on normal. I’m mostly using sword and shield, sometimes a longsword. I read that master strike doesn’t work with other weapon types, so I stuck with swords. Ironically, I never actually pulled off a master strike in KCD 1. I think I missed it completely in the tutorial or just forgot how to use it. But I am using it in KCD 2 like crazy.

Dilemma 1: For a second playthrough of KCD 2, I had this idea to go Hardcore and roleplay Henry as a strength perks focused rp of blacksmith. That means no fancy armor, just blacksmith clothes and leather gloves, using only hammers or warhammers. Basically, bonk-only Henry. My question is: is this kind of build even viable on Hardcore? Or am I just making things way too hard for myself?

Dilemma 2: After I finish KCD 2 on normal, should I go back and do a Hardcore run of KCD 1? Or would that just be a massive time sink with not enough payoff? I work full-time (9 to 5) and only get around 1 to 2 hours of gaming per day, so time is limited. Maybe it's smarter to just jump into KCD 2 Hardcore with the blacksmith build and forget about replaying the first one.

Would love to hear your thoughts, especially if you've played Hardcore or tried non-standard builds.