User blog comment:Leolab/Ancient User Tourney, Round 8: Gaius Leopold (Skully) v Tiberius Proditus (EA)/@comment-28741452-20160706012615

Hindenburg's Vote: Pirate King vs Roman Traitor

The men: Gaius "The Salt Eagle" Leopold vs Tiberius Proditus Let's start with the history of these two men. Both spent years with the military. Gaius spent that time actual training, while Tiberius was being a hooligan. However, Gaius then spent 20 odd years at sea. No matter how good the training he would spend most of his time helping keep the ship in shape. ~80% of the time it would be sailing, the rest would be fighting. While, Gaius "The Salt Eagle" Leopold is very skilled, he lost an eye. That is going to impede his fighting capablities. It maybe a disadvantage. Tiberius Proditus is a self serving prick only thinking about himself. Tiberius would only think about how best to get through the sitiutaion. Both of these men would want to close the distance as soon as possible. Tiberius is younger and was in the army for a while. Gaius is more experience and is excels at one on one combat. This makes them even in my mind.

Edge: Even

Initial: Salt vs Spatha Sword & Scutum Shield The Salt is a better sword than the Spatha sword. The Salt made of better material, it longer, and it weights more (giving more cutting power). The only downside is it being a better two-hander weapon than a one-hander. That only leaves the shield for consideration. The sheild is a very big obstacle to get around. That being said the Salt could get around or bash the sheild down. I like sword and board, however I need to call it even for the Salt being a monster of a sword.

Edge: Even

Short Range: War Axe & Viking Shield vs Spatha Sword & Scutum Shield Going into the sword and board option. Both carry a weapon and sheild for this option. However, the Scutum Shield is bigger than Viking Shield. The Scutum Shield will protect more of the body than the Viking Shield. Next on to the one-handed weapons. The Spatha Sword has a hack and stab function, the War Axe also has a hack and stab function (althrough it is very small stab function). The War Axe could strip away sheilds and could have the same reach of the Spatha sword. However, the Spatha sword has a larger killing surface to the War Axe. Edge goes to the better sword and board combinations.

Edge: Tiberius Proditus

Mid Range: Halberd vs Pilum javelin There little reason to say that the Halberd is better. A Halberd has more range while being in hand. The Pilum used a spear is shorter and has a weaker shaft. The Halberd can be versatile with its head. An axe, a spear, and a hook (for dismounting and get through armor) is all the Halberd. The Pilum is used as a throwing weapon to render useless shelids and kill people. The Pilum is also a javelin which means, it can be thrown, giving it an advantage over Halberd. However, due to the relative inaccurate of the Pilum, and by having only one, the Halberd takes the edge.

Edge: Gaius "The Salt Eagle" Leopold

Long Range: Composite Bow vs Plumbata darts In an arena of 20 meter, range will not matter that much. The Composite Bow is a killer weapon and is a proven track record for winning some fights. However let's not discount the Plumbata Darts. They are relatively small, they are light, and they could be used without telegraphing that your using them. These darts have a chance of killing the target, or could be a fancy distraction. The main problem is that there only 3 darts to 20 arrows. The darts will run out faster than the arrows. However I have to give it to the darts for the reasons stated above, and one more thing you could use the darts one handed. The bow needs both hands in order for it to be effective. Also both weapons are not the intial weapons.

Edge: Tiberius Proditus

Special: Salt vs Pugio dagger This is not a fair comparison. Both are sharp blades, with a cut and stab. The Salt is longer and heavier than the Pugio. The Salt will be use more than the Pugio and will be more useful.

Edge: Gaius "The Salt Eagle" Leopold

Armor: Steel Armor (Chest Piece & Gauntlets & Boots) vs Lorica hamata Now it's time to compare armor. For this comparision I will not include the Scutum Shield for the moment. In terms of quality of material for armor, Steel Armor wins hands down. The Steel Armor also protects better then the Lorica hamata in the areas it does protect. However, the Lorica hamata has better overall coverage and has a helmet to protect the head. While the Steel Armor is made of better material, it is 12 pounds heavier. Now if the Scutum shield is include the Lorica hamata is 10 pounds heavier. Not sure if that makes a differance but it is good to note it. The Lorica hamata is going to be as mobile as the Steel Armor and is going to protect more of the body. Lorica hamata gets the edge.

Edge: Tiberius Proditus

Overall verdict: This is a tough choice for me to decide. Both of these men are good fighters. However for a slight edge in protection, the edge goes to Tiberius Proditus.

Winner: Tiberius Proditus burns Gaius "The Salt Eagle" Leopold