User blog comment:Deathblade 100/Rome's deadliest rivals: Spartacus vs Arminius/@comment-4661256-20160611060853

El Alamein's Edges:

 Close Range: Spatha vs. Gladius:  The spatha is by far the superior weapon. The gladius was phased out of the Roman military after the spatha was introduced, thanks to its greater versatility as both a slashing and stabbing weapon and its superior length. This not only gives the spatha a longer reach, which will allow Arminius to keep Spartacus at bay in a swordfight, but it also makes it a bigger weapon that's capable of delivering the heavier blow. It's the more modern weapon and it gets the edge over its predecessor.

Edge: Arminius

 Mid Range: Axe vs. Trident and Net:  While the axe is likely the more practical weapon here, considering the trident and net was never incorporated into an actual standing army (for pretty obvious reasons), it might actually lose out here. It does afford Arminius more power behind each blow, but its design requires much more momentum before a strike than the trident will. The trident is also considerably lighter, and, when used in conjunction with the net, has the potential to trip up Arminius and leave him vulnerable for a follow-up attack from another weapon.

Edge: Spartacus

 Long Range: Framea vs. Pilum:  The pilum is going to be very useful in disabling Arminius' shield. That aside, it's shorter and less practical as a melee weapon when compared to the framea, which is much more sturdy. The pilum is certainly going to be an effective tool here because it will take out Arminius' armor, but the fact remains that the framea is better suited to outright killing an opponent, especially a poorly armored one like Spartacus.

Edge: Arminius

 Special Weapons: Fire-Hardened Club vs. Sica:  The fire-hardened club is a nasty piece of work and it will definitely break some bones if it hits Spartacus. It will even negate his little armguard if it gets in repeated blows on that area, but the sica will inflict more serious bleeding trauma on Arminius. Blunt trauma is good, but bleeding trauma is better, and the design of the sica to avoid Arminius' shield is just icing on the cake.

Edge: Spartacus

 Armor: Shield vs. Manica:  Obvious win for the shield. Despite the pilum's presence, it's still by far a more practical piece of armor than the near-useless armguard, which will do Spartacus absolutely no good when he gets stabbed in the gut or chest. The shield can at least prospectively block an otherwise lethal attack. The manica will not be able to do that.

Edge: Arminius

WINNER: ARMINIUS

Weapons aside, Arminius is by far the more accomplished warrior. The Battle of Teutoburg Forest stands as a prime example of how to successfully ambush a foe, and he really played the weaknesses of the legion against itself. Spartacus, alternately, had a nice little slave rebellion, but it was promptly crushed. So not only is Arminius more capable as a fighter, but he's got the better weaponry (the spatha and framea are going to absolutely dominate against the poorly-armored Spartacus), better armor, and more important X-Factors of training and tactics locked down. This should be a relatively easy victory for our friend Arminius (or Herman the German, if you prefer).