Should Gladiators play a more important role?

[Captain Grimes]

Instead of just building ampitheatres and click run daily ganes and as a recuirtable unit why not use gladiators as assassians, as objects to gain political favour for instance you can sponser a lanista and if his gladiators perform well you can lend them to other powerful political leraders to gain favour etc, you can hold games in memories of dead ancestors and in honour of other politicans, you can purcahse gladiators from other factions and vice versa the same could work for chariot racing teams - the cheaper ones would be in the provinces and th ebest and most expensive would be in Rome - maybe there should be an option to allow you to gamble on chariot races or gladiatorial combat?

[Greve Af Göteborg]

Weren't the Romans the only ones that had gladiators?

[Dyflinn432]

Dont know about having them as assassins (they are slaves after all) but i like the idea of betting and matbe CA would add an option to watch gladiator fights or chariot races i think that would be epic

[Antalis]

They should be only part of the Spartacus revolt. There is theire part as units AGAINST Rome.

[Adufka]

They should be only part of the Spartacus revolt. There is theire part as units AGAINST Rome.

You right mate..and it should be nice..if CA will make this revolt in Rome2

[Captain Grimes]

The Emperor Commodus was strangled to death in the bath by a gladiator (no it wasnt Maximus

[Captain Grimes]

actually maybe it was a wrestler...but anyway yes if they are slaves so they have to obey their master which makes more sense for them to be assassians and cheaper too

[AtheistDane]

According to Wikipedia, the pre-roman republic states of Italy had something that resembled gladiator fights, but nowhere near on the scale of the Roman Republic and Roman Empire.

There is a quite interesting historical event regarding gladiators during Sulla's first Civil War between 88 and 87 BC, Sulla marched on Rome as the first Roman general ever to do that. In Rome the Senate panicked ordered Gaius Marius (the inventor of the cohort) to gather a force of gladiators and freed slaves to stop Sulla. Yet, Gaius' rack pack force was no match for the military machine he had created and thus he was defeated and forced to flee.
Somewhat the same happened after the Battle of Cannae, due to the lack of soldiers for the defense of Rome and other large cities many slaves were freed and trained as soldiers.

With this in mind, you might argue that amphitheaters could provide a force of gladiators in times of desperation. They would have great individual skills, but lack the discipline and training to fight in tight formation as "real" military units.

It would also be quite nice to have some way of freeing and training slaves, as a cheap and quick to recruit last-ditch force if Italy was invaded (kind of like the Volksturm or Hitlerjugend during WW2).

[Destraex]

Gladiators were part of a "slave" revolt. I don't think their numbers would have ever been great enough to really take on the Roman army alone.
To answer the question I don't think they should be important, especially until imperial rome rears its ugly head.

[MathiasOfAthens]

The slaves and gladiators fought in roman equipment not half naked rags.

[daelin4]

Arenas should give an increased chance to adding gladiator traits and retinues (this is already in RTW) and gladiator-related evens and bonuses.

For units I think it should allow for an additional spawnable defense unit of gladiator levies. Give them the description as "the most loyal and trustworthy gladiators given the promise of freedom" so as not to say that all gladiators as a rule also worked as militia. They could be given a unique stat ratio like high charge and attack but low armour and morale.

I love the idea of gladiator uprisings. Having arenas built in provinces coudl allow for rebel armies to spawn with gladiator unis, and city revolts could include gladiators. They kinda went overboard in RTW where an arena made a revolt consist largely of elite gladiators. Because of that gladiator revolts were nothing different to how the player had to deal with them. They could for instance shut down arena activity in neighbouring provinces or even cause a global event penalty on games to sort of amplify the scandal. Random elements like a chance of increased repression but higher spawn rate of brigand armies with gladiator units, or increased unrest due to crackdown on entertainment but no brigand armies spawn with gladiators.

Rebel units can consist of gladiator run-aways to more organized gladiator forces like Deserters organized to fight like legionaries, with description stating they are Roman convicts. More generic types include barbarian gladiators with Warcry and look like a motley assembly of Germans and Gauls, Greek gladiators that are missile units, and Eastern gladiators that operate a horse archers, and so on. If you want more extreme varieties, there could be gladiator hoplites that can fight in a phalanx. In the end these could just be gladiator variants of existing units with an appropriate twist to stats and descriptions.

Those revolts led by rebel generals could be more organized and produce a much different challenge to players attempting to retake the city...or if it wasn't your city, attest to exploit the situation for your own benefit. Revolts with no general spawned are far lower in scale due to chaos and lack of organization. This could be decided with luck and chance, allowing some curveballs be thrown to the faction.

[Raimeken]

I think gladiator arenas are buildings that should drastically increase public order in Roman settlements, but it also increases the chance for a huge slave revolt.

[Pyres Δt Varanasi]

I think gladiator arenas are buildings that should drastically increase public order in Roman settlements, but it also increases the chance for a huge slave revolt.

Love This Idea

[Armatus]

Good ideas in here, I support them.

[jonny duck]

Have gladiators as enemy units in gladiator revolts (if a town with an arena revolts) or as a garrison force in any towns with an arena.

[Armatus]

You should be able to train your gladiators there by improving their experience and improving their entertainment value.

Upgrades to your arenas could be veteran masters, equipment and stadium upgrades, wild animal stock.

Also if you remember from STW how sometimes after a battle you might get a notification advising you that one of your men has become a "master swordsmen", maybe you could choose to promote these characters in multiple ways one of such could be sending them to train your gladiators.

Also after a battle assuming you'll have the option of taking slaves, maybe you could choose to stock some of your arenas with these enemy combatants?

[Lord Oda Nobunaga]

Perhaps there should be an option of amount of slaves and you should have the option to free them for army purposes. This however would reduce production. You should also have the option to enslave captured enemies. If you capture a general you should give him a chance to switch to your side. When you conquer a faction you should have the option to keep their siege weapons and ships that you did not destroy as well as any troops that were still around when you conquered them.

[Armatus]

When you conquer a faction you should have the option to keep their siege weapons and ships that you did not destroy as well as any troops that were still around when you conquered them.

This makes perfect sense!

[hagagaga]

I just don't want them on the battlefield.

[Condottiere 40K]

Marius had gladiators train his legionaries in close combat, so that should be the equivalent of a melee bonus.

I see gladiators the same way as I see onna bushi on the battlefield, as adding colour to a rather dull line up.