User blog comment:Deathblade 100/Hannibal Barca Vs Arminius/@comment-5795750-20141020091459

BG1's "The Elephants in Gaul" Edges

Swords: The Spatha is a newer sword than the Falcata, the former being made of steel compared to the latter being made of iron; also the spatha boasts a longer blade that can slash and stab

EDGE: Arminius

Polearm: The Sarissa is a clumsy long spear for a battle like this. If this were an army vs army fight then the Sarissa would be of better use but in this situation, the axe is a more deadly and manoeuvrable weapon to use for close quarters combat

EDGE: Arminius

Projectile: Framea can be used as a spear as well as a javelin but the Soliferrum is purely a javelin; that being said, more than one Soliferrum can be carried by Carthaginian cavalry unlike the one-use framea javelin

EDGE: Even

Special: Small darts vs a very large elephant? This shouldn't be too hard

EDGE: Hannibal

Tactics: Of what good use is the Double Envelopment tactic going to be for Hannibal in this situation when your enemy is hiding from view waiting to ambush you? That's all I have to say to give me the edge to...

EDGE: Arminius

Armour: Iron helmet is more protective than bronze and a shield that is purely made of metal is bound to be more protective than a shield made of bronze and wood; that being said, Arminius's lack of body armour is giving him a bit of a setback but then again, Hannibal and his troops are only armed with a piece of bronze that covers the chest... but is actually also a bit too bulky to move in

EDGE: Arminius

X-Factors: Average of 79.5 for Hannibal, Average of 79.25 for Arminius

EDGE: Hannibal

Overall Winner: Despite Hannibal having that massive living weapon that is the war elephant, its effectiveness here is somewhat limited; that being said, Arminius ends up being the victor here - his weapons are of a higher-grade metallurgy and more suited for more direct and close-quarter combat situations while Hannibal's weapons and tactics are more suited for army combat and not squad combat; the difference between the two in terms of X-Factors is simply negligible. I leave you with a simple question that will perhaps convince other voters in their vote: Of what good use is the Double Envelopment tactic going to be for Hannibal in this situation when your enemy is hiding from view waiting to ambush you?