Introduction

The King Camper tournament was organised by The Black Plague clan in September 2002. The competition was a fund raiser event for one of their members - UnDying, who had been the victim in a horrific motor accident and sustained serious injuries.

The Ghost Recon community pulled together and the Tournament arranged. Entrants donated on an honour system to compete, and some offered up prizes. Ubi Soft contributed promotion, and a box full of games. At the end of the tournament over $700 had been raised, and some great games enjoyed.

The Winners

After a preliminary knock out stage, 8 teams of 3 players were through to the finals. The eventual winners were "SEAL 3" consisting of [VF]John-Pain, SIN Fusion and Eraser.

GhostRecon.net managed to pin two of the winning team down, and they were more than happy to answer a few questions about the tournament...

First of all congratulations on winning the Tournament.
[VF]John_Pain : TY

Can you tell us who the team consisted of, how long you've been playing Ghost Recon and what clans they belong to, if any.
[VF]John_Pain : Eraser, Fusion (both of clan S|N) and myself ([VF]John_Pain). I've been playing about 10 months I guess. At the moment Team [VF] only has a forum.

Eraser/S|N : I started playing GR sometime around the middle of May (It was my first online gaming experience). Myself and Fusion both play for S|N on the Rumble. John Pain plays for a clan called VF which I believe is mostly an offshoot of BW.

Did you enjoy the tournament, do you think the rules made for good games?
[VF]John_Pain : It was an awesome experience, major rush. The rules were just fine and the competition was top notch. All for a great cause.

Eraser/S|N : The only thing I would have changed perhaps with the whole thing was the amount of time between the mailing of the rosters and the match times.

Is there anything you would have changed about the tournament or its organisation?
[VF]John_Pain : No, it was for a great cause and to organize something like this must take a lot of work. The organizers did the best they could, trying to bring that many people together is a big task.

Eraser/S|N : The tournament was a complete and total blast. I was very happy for having the chance to meet JP, he's a really cool guy. The rules were as fun as could be imagined. I loved playing the Ti maps in particular due to the fact that is was a fun change from the no Ti ladder I play on.

Which teams or individuals did you meet along the path to victory that impressed you?
[VF]John_Pain : As far as the team...that would have to be Seal 5,the one my clanmate (Ghostfaced) was in, they were the only ones to beat us =)
Individuals, without a doubt that would be Eraser and Fusion. They made me feel like part of the team from the start. A great couple a guys.

Eraser/S|N : I would say that all the teams we went up against impressed me to some degree. It was fun seeing all the different tactics employed by the teams. The player along the way that impressed me the most was perhaps a guy named EGR Klister (I think that's his name). He is obviously used to Ti and in the preliminary rounds he ruled on those maps beating us on all 3 Ti maps. We met them in the quarterfinals and destroyed them, but I would say they were our toughest overall match. I would also say that JP impressed me quite a bit. He was our mainstay. Fusion and I went out and did the killing and when we didn't JP was there to save our arse's a couple of times.

What tactics did your team decide on, and did they change as the competition progressed?
[VF]John_Pain : Eraser handled this on the fly pretty much. He is a sharp tactician. As far as kits we carried what we were comfortable with.

Eraser/S|N : Our tactic pretty much stemmed from the way that Fusion and I play matches as part of S|N. We took sensors, dropped one at start and advanced quickly to get a good spread on the map. We played offensive almost the entire time. People don't expect you to continue attacking when you already have a lead....We caught a lot of people off guard this way. I am 27, Fusion is 22, and JP is 39 I believe....I feel this aspect led somewhat to our success. We all had cool heads when our back were against the wall.

What advice would you give to players considering playing Ghost Recon competitively?
[VF]John_Pain : MP competition is the ultimate in excitement and fun. Find a group your comfortable with and let them show you the ropes and always be respectful of other players.

Eraser/S|N : The most important thing about playing competitively is to always remember that it is only a game. Remember to be respectful, there is a person on the other end of the line. Tactically, try different routes, don't get stuck doing the same one all the time. If you keep the same tactics going at some point someone is going to figure out a way to beat them. All in all just have fun. It's supposed to be a game, treat it like one and you will have a lot more fun.

Any final words?
[VF]John_Pain : Continue to keep Undying and his family in your prayers.

Eraser/S|N : Complete thanks to all of BP for making this happen. A special thanks to Sybarite Gal who held the ship together when it seemed it might fall apart. To UndyingUK, best of luck for a speedy recovery. My thoughts go out to you and your family.

Conclusion

The King Camper Tournament was a great success - credit to Black Plague's Arachnid and Sybarite for all their hard work planning and running the competition. Also thanks to Black Plague's BadMojoTX for his work on the webpages. The tournament successfully raised money towards UnDying's recovery process, and many new alliances were bonded.

Finally the organisers wish to thank the sponsors who volunteered their time and prizes, not least Ubi Soft UK for their very generous selection of game prizes, and have asked me to pass on their best wishes to UnDying.

Rocky