FLL Teams,

now that we're getting into the last few weeks of the FLL season your team is probably looking at the various missions that your robot can get points on and thinking about how you combine them to do the most during a 2.5 minute match.

Now that you've figured out what is going on with the robot game, it is really, really helpful to have each of the team members read and reread the Missions, Rules, Game Updates, and Field Setup documents.

Challenge your assumptions! Is something allowable that you haven't thought of before? Or, is something that you are doing now not going to be allowed at a tournament?

There's a special energy and creativity that team members get from the combination of panic and adrenaline that shows up when a referee tells them, "Did you know, you're not actually allowed to do that because of Rule XYZ?" It's better to save that creativity to respond to the robot movement and operations issues that will also probably show up.

Teams that rely on their coach to master the rules are typically less successful than teams that have one or more team members who are the experts. Your team members have to know the game documents in order to have a meaningful discussion with the tournament referees when asking for benefit of the doubt (Rule 40).

Over the next couple of days I'll share my previews of what to expect at your FLL tournament. I am getting excited to see our Virginia/DC FLL teams in action--I know that you will show me some great ideas that I haven't thought of, and that you'll have some remarkable things to show to the judges too.

Steve Scherr
VA/DC FLL Referee Advisor

P.S. in the original message below, the last reference should be Rule 44, Bullet 6...

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: VA/DC Referee Advisor <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Fri, Sep 6, 2013 at 12:50 AM
Subject: FLL Topic #2 -- Rules and the Game Documents
To: [log in to unmask]

** Does anyone really read the small print in the Field Setup? **

** What's all this about Game Updates? The PDF on the website doesn't have any!! **

** Why does the referee keep quoting stuff at me? Can't we just watch the video? **

- There are 4 important documents that your team needs in order to have fun and succeed with the Robot Game. Three of them are in the Challenge PDF: (1) Field Setup, (2) Missions, (3) Rules

-- the MOST IMPORTANT document is actually a webpage. It has the Robot Game Updates. There's an obscure link to it on the Challenge webpage, or just go to http://www.firstlegoleague.org/challenge/robotgameupdates and bookmark it to have your team review every week.

-- There are two other official sources of information--the official game video, and emails to the game designer at [log in to unmask]. Neither of these will be important at a tournament.

Rule 43: PRECEDENCE/AUTHORITY

* You get information about the robot game from more than one place. Once in a while, information from different places conflicts. So here is the order of precedence for the sources: 1 = CURRENT robot Game updates, 2 = Missions and Field setup, 3 = rules, and 4 = Video.

* When there is conflict between pictures/videos and text, the text takes precedence!

* The head ref at a tournament is required to base decisions on the information above, in the order shown above. No other source of information has standing. [That includes emails from me!!]

Rule 44 - ROBOT GAME SUPPORT

* The best first place to go for Robot Game support is the robot Game updates.

* If that doesn’t help, expert support is available directly from the designer/author (Scott - Hi!) at [log in to unmask] (usual response in 1-2 business days).

* The ref is not obligated to read individual response e-mails.

* Questions posted in the discussion forum are not seen nor responded to by Robot Game Support.

- That's why a referee should always be able to show you **in the text of the game documents** the basis for a decision. So my responses will always help you find the places in the text that explain a ruling about the game.

Rule 3: INTERPRETATION

* There are no hidden requirements or restrictions. If you’ve read everything, then you know everything.

It's true that if you read everything, then you'll know everything, but fllrobotgame and your Referee Advisor are available to help you understand how a good referee would be likely to interpret or apply a particular bit of text. [Rule 43, bullet 6]

Steve Scherr

VA/DC FLL Referee Advisor