[@DepressedSoviet] Well, I also proposed a similar method to what The Crucible is using, by having two fighters write a "round" of fighting in a match, having the players vote for their favourite version, and then continuing to the next "round" from the winner's post. First to three wins the match, and the tournament advances based on that. It's democratic, ergo as fair a decision as possible, and since characters nominally aren't dying anyway, they still get to participate in the game as bystanders, whether or not they're involved in some form of plot beyond the tournament itself.