User blog comment:Deathblade 100/Empire Builders or Destroyers? Praetorian Guard vs Persian Immortals/@comment-125.237.15.4-20150403100621

Anon's "Haven't done this in a while" Edges

Close Range: Gladius vs. Acinaces

The Gladius wins this comparison for a number of reasons. Firstly, it is made of high quality steel as opposed to the Acinaces which is most likely to be made of bronze, which is more likely to bend or break. Secondly, the Gladius has a longer blade allowing the Praetorians to strike from a further distance, and thirdly, a thrust from the Gladius will probably do more damage to the Immortals' bronze-scale armour than the Acinaces will to the Praetorians' iron segmented plate armour, the Acinaces will probably break before the Praetorians' armour does.

Edge: Praetorian Guard

Mid-Range: Pilum vs. Persian Spear

I am going to go with the Pilum on this one, mainly because Persian Immortals were trained to hold on to their spears and use them in melee as thrusting weapons. Romans (not just Praetorians) on the other hand threw their first pilum when their enemy was at a distance and then used a spare pilum in melee when they got close (or if time permitted they would also throw their second pilum and then attack with the gladius) either way they still win.

Edge: Praetorian Guard

Long Range: Scorpion vs. Composite Bow

Here is where the Immortals shine, the composite bow is a lot easier to use and does not require a crew to operate properly, not only that but the rate of fire of the Scorpion even with a crew is pitiful compared to the bow. On top of that, the bow can be used in conjuction with the chariot so the scorpion has to hit a moving target (while taking fire), easier said than done.

Edge: Persian Immortals

Special Weapons 1: Dolabra vs. Sagaris

I am inclined to side with the Dolabra, despite being an improvised weapon (which I think people on this site read too much into, but thats just my opinion), the Dolabra as demonstrated on the show can utterly destroy armour and the warrior hiding behind it, if this thing can split stone then bronze scales will be no problem. On top of that the Immortals' WICKER shield will provide NO defense against this thing, it will get shredded. The Sagaris on the other hand is a bronze axe that can easily be blocked by a scutum shield (or get stuck in one) and its long shaft means that it can easily be cut in half by a gladius. Finally, I am not convinced that the sagaris can puncture Roman armour - please correct me if I am wrong on that one though.

Edge: Praetorian Guard

Special Weapon 2: Pugio vs. Chariot Scythe

I think that this is more of a tactical edge on the Romans' part than anything else, as stated below, the Romans did employ tactics to counter scythed chariots by having the front  few lines move out of the way of the oncoming chariot and then the soldiers behind use their spears to stop the horse(s) in their tracks before climbing aboard and butchering the driver and soldier(s). And that is exactly what i see happening here. Also given that on the show, the chariot scythe failed to inflict lethal injuries on unarmoured targets, I fail to see how it will do any real damaged to a well armoured target.

Edge: Praetorian Guard

Armour: Lorica Segmentata vs. Bronze Scales & Leather

No contest, Bronze scale armour will start to fall apart after minimal punishment, while Lorica segmentata will hold up strong against...any of the Persian weapons really. Also Scutum vs. wicker shield...the latter can be pierced with nearly anything, the former can take a substantial amount of abuse.

Edge: Praetorian Guard

Overall Winner

The edges don't lie, I love the Persian Immortals but they are outclassed in every category apart from long range weapons and even then, the Romans have the tortoise formation, which can be and was used for protection against arrows. On top of that, the Romans have experience in fighting armies that used similar tactics to the Persians, so...I really don't see how the Immortals can win this.

THE WINNERS ARE: THE PRAETORIAN GUARD