Unfairness and nasty surprises in tournament?

[Steel God]

Sounds like Double Deuce's Combat Campaigns. Was played on a larger map, and players maneuvered on it, and combat occurred when forces bumped into each other. Battles could involve multiple players on one side, and only 1 on the other, uneven odds, battle damage and losses from previous battles, and always complete blindness in the way of intel unless you had gathered it yourself. Damned good fun, but it requires dedicated players, and a firm set of rules, and a cracker jack moderator.

Maybe not something for a first time toruney.