Call of Cthulhu classic box set, the Resistance Table, and skills

[Brian Courtemanche]

Hi all.  So I'm considering breaking out the classic Call of Cthulhu box set (2nd edition CoC) that was Kickstarted a year or so ago.  I want to scratch an itch for nostalgia and get some use out of that wonderful box set on my shelf.  So here's my question for the forum: opposed skill rolls in pre-7th edition CoC.  How do you handle opposed skill use in classic Call of Cthulhu?  Say you want to Fast Talk past a suspicious hospital orderly that has a decent Psychology skill score.  Do you use the Resistance Table for opposed skill contests the same as you do for characteristics like STR vs. SIZ?  Or do both opponents keep rolling their skills until one fails and the other succeeds?  For example, in the 2nd edition rules, it says for the Debate skill (p. 18), opposed debaters keep rolling their Debate skill until only one succeeds and the other fails.  Should this rule be expanded to included all skill contests, like Sneak vs. Listen, Camouflage vs. Spot Hidden, etc.?  Essentially, how are opposed skill contests handled in early/classic CoC?  Have opponents keep rolling their skills until one succeeds and the other fails, or match up the opposed skills on the Resistance Table?  Which is it?  Thanks for any clarification you can provide, it is much appreciated!