by Synegg
I tried buying more slaves as Batiatus but Tullius usually outbids me coz he has so much incentive to do so and usually more gold.The other thing we noticed is that players bid way more for slaves than gladiators, especially early in the game. Like in the early rounds any slave will sell for at least 8-10 gold, whereas a 9 or 10 point gladiator sells for much lower. Of course if it's 1 of the top gladiators everyone goes all-in.
I went through the gladiators and there are some that are worth being collected by Batiatus:
Varro - this guy is worth so much money, just keep exhausting him and make sure he doesn't die.
Duro - very valuable to protect your champion, I think his ability works even if he's exhausted?
Ashur - another gladiator who is not cut out to fight, excellent for playing intrigue cards and if you don't need his power that turn then exhaust him for the exhibition match.
But since these gladiators are so valuable it may not be so easy to collect them.