You're already ahead of me! I thought I might try to make an online version, but, first, I really don't know if I can, and secondly, the next couple of weeks I don't think I'll have much time to sit down and play around with it. I'll put it "on the list."
That said, if you want to give it a go have at it! 😀
I'm kind of torn on the dice roll thing. I like the simplicity of being able to play it as-is, even without die. Literally, you could play it in the dirt with sticks and rocks. In my head, for some reason, I pictured large stones that dotted across a stream. A person, or two, could stand on the stones. Two people could stand on the stone, even two opponents. While sharing the stone, they're equal and neither gets pushed off. However, if a teammate joins, then the two teammates could push the other person off and those two take over the spot. Power in numbers wins every time.
On the other hand, I actually love the die roll idea. That's what I had in mind with the Army men and that adds a degree of unpredictability, of course. Even if things are going bad for you, there's still a chance. Having hope matters.
What do you think? I think if I were making an online version, I'd implement the randomness. It's (a) actually realistic because that one person could conceivably pull a miracle and push those two people off the spot, not likely, but possible, and (b) it just ups the fun factor. Also, I like your implementation. It gives the teammates a 2/3 chance to win; gives the underdog a 1/3 chance (which are the exact odds of the people pushing one another on the stones).
Fun stuff.