User blog comment:WraithOfWaffle/Battle Eight: Carnegie (The Book of Eli) vs. The Governor (AMC's The Walking Dead)/@comment-4661256-20140212031451

El Alamein's Edges:

 Melee: Machete vs. Bowie Knife:  Although the Machete is likely longer and a superior hacking weapon, I'm siding with the Bowie Knife here. It's not an improvised weapon, and it can stab effectively as well as slash. Finally, it has the ability to be thrown in combat if the user is skilled enough. The Machete is certainly a nice weapon, but it's outclassed by the more versatile knife.

Edge: The Governor

Close Range 1: Browning Hi-Power vs. Beretta 92:   Both of these handguns perform relatively well under decent combat conditions with their 13-round box magazines that house the 9mm. Sure, the Beretta's got a slightly higher muzzle velocity and it weighs a half a pound less, but to me, these differences are entirely negligible as being shot with either of these weapons is going to be incapacitating or lethal. But with the Governor's better training and superior logistics, he has more ammo to fire and greater know-how to make each shot count.

Edge: The Governor

''' Close Range 2: Beretta 92 vs. Colt Mk. IV: ''' The Beretta that Carnegie is carrying boasts a magazine capacity double that of the Colt. Despite the fact that the Colt's .45 is a personal favorite and easily outclasses the 9mm, the fact that there are two times the number of bullets in the Beretta speaks for itself. Carnegie can keep laying suppressive fire long after the Governor's mag has run dry.

Edge: Carnegie

 Shotguns: Mossberg 500 vs. UTAS:  The UTAS's dual internal mag setup is impressive, giving it so much more ammo to lay down on the enemy than would normally be avaliable in a shotgun. Range does come into question, but for the most part, shotguns have a fairly limited range, and I think it's safe to assume that the UTAS doesn't boast an incredible advantage or suffer from an extreme disadvantage either way. Generally, it's the ammo (slug vs. shot) that determines range with shotguns. Sure, the Mossberg weighs a little less, but that's all that it's got going in its favor. Don't get me wrong - the Mossberg 500 is a reliable, trusted, and efficient shotgun. But the newcomer to the table, the UTAS, is simply newer and flashier and those internal magazines speak for themselves.

Edge: The Governor

 Rifle 1: AK-47 vs. Steyr AUG:  Another classic example of robust and reliable vs. precise and powerful. The AK's 7.62 rounds will tear flesh apart - at the cost of accuracy. As I've explained before, the AK's looser barrel fitting means that the gun won't jam, but as a result the bullets lose their tight grouping and wobble wildly in the air - at shorter ranges this really doesn't make a difference but in longer-ranged firefights a few inches difference from the shooter's perspective could mean missing the target by a few feet. But, on the bright side (for the shooter of the AK) if a tumbling round does hit, it's going to absolutely smash the target to pieces. Meanwhile the Steyr's 5.56 NATO rounds have much tighter barrel fitting and the rounds tend to stay on target. This gives the AUG better accuracy in the hands of a capable user and therefore greater effective range. Finally, the AUG's slightly higher rate of fire doesn't go above the limits of reasonable control, allowing the Governor's troops to lay down a heavy blanket of suppressive fire on Carnegie's men, who will simply be outgunned at longer distances.

Edge: The Governor

 Rifle 2: FN FAL vs. M14:  Both of these powerful battle rifles boast a decent 20-round box mag and fire the damning 7.62 rounds. Although you have rate of fire listed, both of these weapons are traditionally employed with a semi-automatic firing mode because, fully auto, their magazines will burn dry in the time span of a few seconds. The greater range of the M14, though, and its faster muzzle velocity (which translates to greater stopping power on an already damning rifle) give it an edge over the FN FAL. Also of note is that the FN FAL is something of the AK-47 of the Western World, mass-produced during the Cold War to equip the armed forces of over 90 countries. This is impressive, but brings with it the implications of a sloppy weapon. Now, it's not a bad gun, but the M14 was designed in the US primarily for US forces. Just something to think about.

Edge: The Governor

 Explosives: RPG vs. AT-4:  The AT-4 is a more accurate weapon, simply because of its recoilless design that allows much of the pressure and gases built up during the firing to escape out the back. This also gives it greater range because the warhead is propelled outward more forcefully. The RPG lacks the sophistication of this function, and as such, is a little less accurate. That being said, the AT-4 is a single-shot rocket launcher, so once you fire that first shot, you're done. The RPG can be reloaded, allowing for a more forgiving environment for Carnegie's men in the event of a missed shot.

Edge: Carnegie

 Special Weapons: Gatling Gun vs. Browning:  The Gatling Gun is stored in the back of the vehicle, which needs to be stationary to be used effectively. So, yeah, I mean I guess it's mobile, but not readily so. Also it's a crew-served weapon, so the more men Carnegie loses, the less he can afford to waste time setting up and getting the Gatling Gun operational. The Browning mounted on the Governor's jeeps can be used while the vehicles are driving, though, and only one person actually needs to aim and fire the weapon. The .50 caliber rounds of the Browning will deal more damage than the smaller, standard rifle rounds used by the Gatling Gun, and the Browning's belt-fed system is more effective in terms of reload time and ease of clearing a jam than the Gatling Gun's hand-crank system. Finally, the effective range of a Gatling Gun (400-600 yards, or 365-548 m) is severely underwhelming in comparison to the 1,000 m+ range advantage of the Browning. It can literally punch holes in Carnegie's forces and shred the entire force to pieces in seconds. This is brutal, massive, overkill.

Edge: The Governor

WINNER: THE GOVERNOR

Unfortunately, I see this as a very easy win for the Governor, and I wanted Carnegie to win. But there's no way I can see him winning. Firstly, the Governor's weapons are all vastly superior where it matters, but especially with the heavy machine gun - I can't stress the superiority of the Browning over everything else Carnegie has enough. Even if that was the only weapon the Governor had, he'd probably pull through with it. But combine the hail of .50 caliber bullets with supporting fire from M14 battle rifles and fully-automatic AUGs and there will be no safe spot in the open and no cover solid enough to protect Carnegie and his men. The Governor is also a more effective leader - although his attack on the prison was absolutely disastrous, it was because he was leading a mostly civilian force. When he's got backed by his small squad of elite bushwhackers (who have proven themselves capable of absolutely massacring National Guardsmen), he's practically unstoppable. Carnegie had enough trouble just taking a Bible from a blind guy (I know, I know Eli's more than just "a blind guy," but that's not the point) - how is he going to be able to present anything more than an annoying setback for the Governor? No contest.