You probably won't win a new PC or a nice chunk of change if you take top honors in The Coalition Quake tournament, but the organizers can promise that everyone who participates will have a lot of fun.

　　The tournament, sponsored by the MadmZone Gaming Network, is a Quake World Capture the Flag (QWCFT) event. Unlike the competition seen during the PGL finals where single players competed one on one, this is a team-based tournament where two five-player teams compete in 30-minute matches.

　　Although many CFT clans already exist and compete online, the purpose of this tournament is not to determine the best CTF clan, but to bring clan competition and public gaming together in one tournament. Having a good time playing CTF is the ultimate goal of the event. To that point, every team will have eight players and to make sure that all the players get to play at least part of the match, everyone who shows up is guaranteed to play at least in one of the two 15-minute halves. Also clan members who sign up will not be teamed with other members of their clan for the competition.

　　Asked why he's decided to compete in this tournament, Kaufee , a member of the QWCTF clan "The Knights of Ni," replied, "It gives serious clan players a chance to compete officially but without the pressure normally associated with clan competition." He added, "I would compare The Coalition to a bunch of NBA players from different teams getting together to play and have a good time." But he also thinks that a tournament of this type gives nonclan players a taste of clan-style competition

　　According to tournament organizer Stephen Nicholson, aka KamiKaze, applications will be accepted until February 21. After that, team captains will conduct a draft closed to public input where they will select players for their respective teams. The reason for the private draft is to prevent people from offering help to the captains and to avoid participants claiming favoritism.

　　The plan is to have a short season of regular play to give the new teams "time to gel" and then proceed with single-elimination playoffs which will determine the top team. Nicholson is working on getting some official prizes for competitors. Until then, the only award players are vying for is respect from fellow Quake players.

　　And for some, that just might be enough.