From the introduction: "The word 'gladiators' immediately conjures up a host of violent images. The net and trident. Fans screaming for blood. Patrician Romans sitting disdainful of the slaves who fight for the crowd’s amusement." "The world of the gladiator is more than just slaves, swords, and death. Gladiators were well-trained athletes competing in a most lethal sport. They were pampered and cared for like racehorses, driven mercilessly like boot-camp recruits, and then sent out to kill and die splendidly for the crowds." "GURPS Martial Arts: Gladiators takes you inside the world of the gladiator. You’ll enter the ludus, where raw slaves and desperate freemen were transformed into cunning and artful martial artists. You’ll go inside the arena, where they put on the show they trained for. You’ll travel to the Roman streets and beyond, where gladiators were famed for their fighting skills, envied for their physical prowess, and wooed by their social betters." "Now enter the arena, where the blood-soaked sand reveals the skills of some of the most renowned martial artists in history . . ."