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bugrimmar on 02 July 2011
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zarx said:
bugrimmar said:

please do :) i love the show despite the fact that i recognize some inaccuracies. i'd love discussion of any kind :)

you're right about the shield that it can be tied to the arm. however, that can only protect a limited part of the body. the armor of the gladiator left a lot of parts exposed. you are right that the knives can be sort of blocked by the shield sometimes, but then arrows will always find a way to pass through. arrows can be shot from so far away and though the gladiator can block some of them, a few can easily go through. and then when he gets nearer, more stuff will be thrown at him that can possibly get through his shield. sure, when he gets close enough, that's when he can get some damage done.

unfortunately, if we play averages with arrows and knives thrown, some will get through. the shield and armor he has are incomplete and provide inconclusive protection. so if we run many battles with many apaches and gladiators, i have to agree that in majority of cases, the gladiator can't even get close enough to attack.

Well we could always give the gladiator a war chariot instead of a sheild, chop the apache's legs off with spinning blades etc. Also the type of bows apache used were short range as bows go. They used short bows that were good for hunting in forests where they would sneak up and they fire at a vital organ, or from horse back where they could ride up close, not like the composite or long bows. Ranged weapons also have limited amunition so if the gladiator had a standard Roman Scutum (long sheild ) which was designed to protect centurions from hails of arrows, wich is valid as many gladiators were ex soldiers and were often involved in recreated battles where one group would be equiped like centurions.

it would not be hard for a gladiator to block any shots before going in for the kill.


if we're going to include a war chariot and scutum, then we have to take into account stealth and fatigue as well. apaches were known for their ability to attack from ambush and hit and run tactics. we also have to take into account if the gladiator were to bring all that gear against a guy with very light gear, naturally the apache could just run and hide indefinitely, shooting arrows here and there, until the gladiator is forced into a position where his chariot wouldn't be helpful anymore. it's a wheeled vehicle so it can't really go to rocky areas or deep forests. all that running, of course, will make the gladiator tired in the end because he's carrying so much stuff with him. that scutum is heavy.

i stand by the point that since gladiators didn't have any reliable range weapons, they can be picked apart by someone who can shoot from afar. yes, the ammunition will eventually run out, but if an apache can attack from ambush where a gladiator isn't prepared, there won't even be a fight to begin with.