The wire trick is actually quite easy, I did attempt it on mine, after feeling the same way you do before that.
During my time messing with my Evo, I did end up bricking it pretty hard. It took me a couple hours and a lot of work with ADB and Fastboot to get it working, since it would do absolutely nothing, not even get to the boot screen, nor would Windows recognize it being plugged in, but I don't think you will ever totally brick it beyond repair.
That said, yes, HTC phones are terrible to unlock completely. Between getting the unlock code, the S-OFF, etc. it is a pain in the ass, but once you do, I absolutely love them.