You are in the USA where they have the death penalty. Texas.
You have been charged with a very serious crime; you are in fact innocent but the state has a strong case because you were framed by a master schemer nicknamed Littlefinger. The penalty is potentially death; the state is going ahead with the case, they refuse to drop the death penalty (your lawyers are whatever you can afford in real life, if you can't afford any lawyers then its a public defender).
At the very beginning of the trial, you are given a choice (this is an election, you have to make the choice NOW and you can't change your choice later).
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Choice 1: Proceed with the trial. Plead Not Guilty. The State thinks it has a relatively strong case. Right off the bat, they refuse to bargain with you, they don't feel they need to treat with you because they are confident in the case's success against you (therefore pleading Not Guilty isn't an option because it will just get you executed immediately).
It is POSSIBLE you will be in a position later in the trial to reduce your sentence through bargaining but you would be relying on an unexpected development later on. You can also choose to gamble on your lawyers lucking it out and getting a Not Guilty in the end somehow.
Choice 2: ''I de-MAN-d a trial by combat.''
You must choose now. You cannot choose later (ex have the trial run for a few months and then go Trial by Combat if you don't like how it's going). The choice must be made at the outset and its irrevocable.
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If you go with Choice 1 its just a normal criminal trial with very high stakes for you. You get whatever legal services you can afford otherwise its a public defender. If you go with Choice 2, the outcome of the trial will be decided in a fight to the death between you and a fighter chosen by the Governor of Texas. The fight will take place in a football stadium; the weapon for the duel will be a Gladius. The two fighters will wield identical weapons (same maker, same weight etc). The two fighters will be allowed to train in the stadium for a complete week but the costs are out of pocket.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gladius
You are not allowed to bring in additional weapons, any kind of armour, or to take any kind of performance enhancement drugs before the duel. You ARE allowed to hire someone else to fight for you/convince a relative or friend to fight in your place. A few things to keep in mind.
1.The media is covering the case and the hype is just INSANE. Most of the commentators and the general public think you are guilty. If you go Trial by Combat, the Governor will be under heavy pressure to find a very skilled fighter to represent Texas.
2. Keep in mind that if you want to hire a replacement fighter, its likely to be very expensive. This is a fight to the death. If you want a friend/family member to fight for you, they better be good.
3. A few days before you have to make the decision, the actor who plays Jaime Lannister (Coster-Waldau) visits your cell and agrees to be your champion if you choose to go trial by combat but can't find anyone else to fight for you and don't want to fight yourself. Coster-Waldau has no experience whatsoever in real life fencing or duelling except some basics he learned to film his fight scenes in Game of Thrones and some other movies.
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I would demand a trial by combat and then face the state's duelist myself. It is a matter of personal honour, I will not be willing to risk anyone else's life besides my own to prove my own innocence in the field.
I don't trust the conventional justice system since they put me on trial despite my innocence even though with my real life resources I could probably hire a decent lawyer.
I will face my enemy in the field and if I go down, then at least I go down swinging. Its a matter of honour.
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What do you choose and why do you choose what you choose? Do you go with a normal trial or a trial by combat? If you go trial by combat, do you fight yourself or do you hire someone else to do it/find a friend or family member to fight on your behalf?
Why? How do you justify your choice?
