Gladiators are some of the most appealing characters in history, and many a wargamer got into historical games thanks to them. Not my case, but still, I have a fascination for this warriors of old. Their brutal, chaotic and colorful nature contrasts with the organized, heterogeneous and color coded armies of the same time and place.
I try to find gladiator figures, or similar, just for the fun of painting them. I use THW´s Red Sands Blue Sky rules that let you manage your own gladiatorial school, even when playing solitaire!

And this is the fighting arena I built for them.