BunnyBot Scrimmage 2008
Revised 12/18/08
The BunnyBot Scrimmage is an annual event hosted by Catlin Gabel School Team 1540. Its purpose is to
give local FRC teams a chance to get familiar with robot construction before the build season starts.
This game is more relaxed than the FRC competitions and all in good fun. Every last “I” hasn’t been
dotted and “t” crossed. Feel free to email Dale Yocum at dale@yocum.com with any questions. Be sure
to let Dale know if your team is coming so you’ll get email updates to the rules.
ROBOT RULES
All FRC robot rules (that aren’t game specific) from 2008 apply with the following modifications:
1) Only two motors are allowed for propulsion of the robot. These must be motors that were legal
in some previous year of FRC.
2) No bumpers are required though they may be used if desired.
3) Electrical rules don’t apply. This allows you to use any control system you like, the 2009
controller, 2008 and earlier controllers, vex controllers, etc. Use common sense and follow
FIRST wiring guidelines when possible. Make sure your radio system doesn’t interfere with FRC
radios if you are using something different.
4) There is no cost accounting for this but common sense would say you don’t want to spend too
much money for BunnyBot parts you can’t use again.
5) Any motor or part that was legal for any previous year FRC competition may be used.
6) Vex and FTC parts are allowed.
7) There is no requirement that parts used on your BunnyBot be available off the shelf. This allows
you to use random parts you might have lying around the shop or that have been removed from
other devices. The idea is for people to not spend too much money on this.
8) Batteries must have been FIRST legal over the last 5 years. Only one can be on your robot at a
time.
9) Each robot must have a place for a flag to be easily inserted and removed. Unlike the 2008
robot rules, there’s no need for it to be raised high in the air but the flag holder must be roughly
equivalent to the FIRST design (12” ½ diameter Schedule 40 PVC pipe capped at the end). The
flag shaft will be ¼” in diameter.
10) Robots need names. Each Robot should include 11” long or larger laminated signs on at least
two sides. The Robot’s name should be in large type, readable from at least ten feet away. In
type of your choosing should be your team’s FRC number and school. Colors and other
graphics are up to you. Keep the robot name to a single word (like a given name, team name,
or school) since it has to fit on the scoreboard and queuing system, not to mention your robot.
When you have a selected a robot name, have your coach publish it to the email list bunnybot-
scrimmage@googlegroups.com if there’s any question someone else might choose that name.
We don’t want duplicates. Names like “Bob” should be published to reserve them. A name like
“Pigmice” doesn’t.
GAME RULES
The 2008 BunnyBot scrimmage is played on a half FRC field, 28’ x 30’. The layout is shown below:
TEETER TOTTER
The Teeter Totter in the middle of the course contains 5 specially colored bonus balls.
MATERIALS:
2 x 4s
3” PVC or ABS pipe
3” endcap for pipe
1.75 lb random nuts and bolts, enclosed in a heavy plastic bag for weight in end of pipe secured by a
bolt.
Common bricks or other weight for platform
Deck screws for 2x4s and to secure the 2x4s to the plywood
½” plywood
½” bolt, 10” long, nut and washers.
Dimensions can be gathered from the Google Sketchup model on the www.pnwfirst.org website.
THE GAME
Two robots form an alliance. The alliance’s goal is to get as many points as possible within a 5
minute round by the following means:
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1 point for each tennis ball in an alliance’s base. There are approximately 50 tennis balls
randomly distributed on the course at the start of the game.
5 points for each bonus ball in their base. The bonus balls are a contrasting color tennis ball
inside the teeter totter. It contains five balls.
5 points for each stuffed animal (Bunny) in a base.
Robots can steal balls or bunnies from their opposing team.
The course is bounded by 2x4s laid flat on the carpeted floor. Balls outside of the field or on
top of the 2x4s are returned immediately to play by spectators.
The Bunnies are stuffed animals 12-18” high with a rough diameter of 8”. Robots intending
to score with these should be able to handle a wide range of stuffed animals.
To receive points, balls and bunnies must be in contact with either the carpet inside a base,
another ball inside the base, or a bunny inside the base. For example, you can’t load your
robot up with balls and then park it inside the base to receive points. Nor can you put all
the balls in a container and deliver the container (this would be precluded anyway by the
FIRST rule preventing robots from leaving pieces of themselves on the field.) You’ll get
points for a ball if it is in contact with a ball, which is in contact with a ball, and so on… which
is in contact with the base. The balls can also be in contact with your robot, so long as they
are in contact with the base. Think of the balls as electrical conductors. As long as the
“current” from the base can flow from ball to ball they count. If you are relying on some
clever scheme using this ball conductivity, be sure the referees can see all the balls you want
to have count. If other words, they shouldn’t be buried inside opaque containers inside
your robot.
PENALTIES
5 point penalty for a robot which goes out of bounds (over the 2x4s). You are considered out of
bounds if any portion of your robot touches the floor beyond the 2x4s. Once a robot is out of
bounds, it is disabled, manually returned to the playing field, and re-enabled.
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25 point penalty for intentionally tipping over or dragging/pushing the Teeter Totter
5 point penalty for intentionally ramming another robot at high speed.
Robots are disqualified for intentionally damaging another robot or engaging in
unsportsmanlike behavior.
A 25 point penalty will be assessed for robots with any portion of their mechanism inside
their opposing alliance’s home zone during the last 30 seconds of the match. If the robot
doesn’t remove itself within five seconds another 25 point penalty will be assessed.
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Climbing inside either base is legal and not considered going outside of the field but care
must be taken because the bases are relatively small and it would be easy to accidently go
outside of the field in the process.
Teams should keep in mind that spectators will be standing close of the field. Robots employing
strategies that might harm people are not allowed.
QUEUES
Robots will fill positions on the field in the order they have registered at the game master desk.
Teams may only add themselves to the list at end of the queue or remove themselves from the
queue because they aren’t ready (and then add themselves to the end when they are). The two
robots at the front of this queue will be the Red alliance and the next two the blue. If a robot isn’t
ready when called, that spot will go to the next robot in sequence and your robot will be removed
from the list. It is therefore in team’s best interest to have a reliable robot so you are never
displaced from your position in the queue. The more matches you play, the higher your score. You
are on your honor that when your robot is placed on the field, you have every reason to think it
works! We want to avoid a lot of matches with dead robots.
Each robot will have a pit area near the arena so there’s no need to physically stand in a long queue.
You must be ready to go the instant you are called however or else you’ll forfeit your place in the
queue.
If there are only two robots ready to go, those teams have the option playing a one-on-one match or
waiting for more robots.
SCORES
Each member of the winning alliance will get two points for a winning match. In the case of a tie, all
robots playing will get one point.
At the end of the day, the robot with the most points wins. There are no elimination rounds, we just
play until a fixed time, probably around 6:00pm.
THE VENUE
The BunnyBot scrimmage is played in covered Tennis Court 1 at Catlin Gabel School next to the Gym.
The field will open for teams to get setup and practice at 1:30pm Jan 2nd . Teams are free to come
anytime between 1:30pm and 2:30pm after which we’ll start serious play. We’ll conclude by around
4:30pm. Teams can bring whatever tools and parts they like but they must take care not to damage
the surface of the court. Bring a tarp to put down in your pit area. Historically we run out of battery
power before we run out of fun. Bring as many charged batteries as you can. The rounds go quickly
and the batteries don’t have as much time to recharge. If you are a new team, consider borrowing
batteries from a team who isn’t taking part. The batteries do wear out after a few years so test
them before putting them on the field. Bring as many battery chargers as you can to the event.