User blog comment:Deathblade 100/Rome's deadliest rivals: Spartacus vs Arminius/@comment-5795750-20160522133932

BG1's "GIVE ME BACK MY LEGIONS!" Edges:

Close: The Spatha is essentially an evolved form of the Gladius in that the former sword's greater length over the latter was done to increase the range of the thrusting (among other sword attacks) that the Romans (and Germanic tribes too) did when wielding those swords. Funny you didn't give him the fire-hardened club for this but I guess Arminius was not THAT barbaric a warrior as history makes him out to be

EDGE: Arminius

Mid: Primarily this comes down to trident vs axe and I have to go with what everyone else is saying here and give the edge to the trident since it is lighter than the axe, can be used more effectively with one hand (and to its full advantage when combined with the net) and with three prongs its more likely to kill

EDGE: Spartacus

Long: Both weapons are pretty much identical much like how the Spatha and Gladius were near identical weapons - both the pilum and the framea can be both used as a ranged throwing weapon as well as a melee spear-like weapon; however just like the close range comparison, Arminius is packing an evolved version of the pilum with the framea being lighter in weight and yet that bit longer

EDGE: Arminius

Special: OK disregard my above comment about the club since you have it here after all. So in line with a comment I made in the Hirai vs William tourney battle, my edge here has to go to the sica since a sword-like weapon is definitely deadlier than a club and even though both weapons are made of iron, Leo makes a good point here about the sica's ironmonger-fashioned curved tip (like the khopesh *cough*Ramesses vs Marcus flashback too for some reason*cough*) being able to get round a shield and possibly penetrating whatever armour is being worn underneath the shield.

EDGE: Spartacus

Armour: Oh sure the manica has more metal on it than the shield but here's the thing, the shield has a wider area of protection plus it makes use of the famed wood-and-iron defense combo that offers more protection under sustained fire for a much longer period of time than a simple bronze armguard

EDGE: Arminius

X-Factors: Average of 60 for Spartacus; Average of 67.5 for Arminius

EDGE: Arminius

Overall Winner: Arminius definitely has this one in the bag owing to not just his weapons that are of superior metallurgy over Spartacus's own but also the superior training and experience that Arminius has too - sure Spartacus was a gladiator who trained and fought for most of his life and led a rebellion against his Roman masters but therein lies a big problem (that the anon below has forgot to take into account): Spartacus as a gladiator is simply used to fighting other gladiators in an enclosed setting; this battle takes place in a much wider forest area that gives Arminius the distinct environmental advantage; furthermore, Arminius has been trained by the Romans himself during his time as a Roman citizen and has not only had to deal with the Romans as military opponents but he's also had to deal with conflict among the Germanic tribes themselves afterwards. One final note: Spartacus failed with his slave uprisings whereas Arminius was so successful with his battle at Teutoberg Forest that he scared the living shit out of the Romans to the point where the Romans dared not to venture further into Germania beyond the Rhine River - that speaks volumes for how successful Arminius is as a warrior compared to the puny gladiator.