Re: Is Q&A official?
 

So they revised the answer to Q594 to the following:


Q594 Q. 1.)What is the order of precedence for the following rule authorities in the case of contradiction: Head Ref, Manual, Team Update, Q&A, FIRST HQ? 2.) If the head ref has higher precedence than Q&A, is Q&A to be interpreted as rule or as guideline?

A. 1) The Game Manual is the ultimate authority for Rules and is created by FIRST HQ and the Game Design Committee. The Team Updates revise the Game Manual. The Q&A helps to clarify questions regarding Rules. The Head Ref at each event applies the most up-to-date Game Manual to the game play. As stated in Section 5.3.3, "The Head Referee has the ultimate authority in the ARENA during the event, but may receive input from additional sources, e.g. Game Designers, FIRST personnel, and technical staff. The Head Referee rulings are final. 2) The Q&A is not a source of Rules.


I like this answer more than the previous one they gave me but it still isn't really good enough. I think next year they need to very clearly lay out the placement of Q&A in the rules line of succession.

Unfortunately, none of the questions I've asked have actually given me an answer to the OP's question.

I think the next step is to ask (and I have):

Q612: As Q&A merely provides clarification and interpretation of the rules, is the Head Referee required to follow the guidance provided by Q&A?

I suspect the answer will be no, they are not and Q&A is considered the very same type of advice the Head Ref may receive from any other source (ie GDC members) but I think it's good to get the GDC to say it clearly.

Re: Is Q&A official?
 

They answered your question.
1)The Head Referee has the ultimate authority in the ARENA during the event, ... The Head Referee rulings are final.
2)when anything is in conflict with this, see rule 1.

The Head Referee is required to follow the rule book. But as for at the event is concerned, He (she) is the final judge of what the rule book means. This is why Q&A refuses to answer situational questions that relies on the Referees judgement. Answers to Q&A should be in line with what the Referee decides, but he is the final authority to decide if they apply. Probably better to ask about they apply to the rule book since that is what the Referee is following. Unfortunately the Referee is also required to keep up with & referee the ongoing matches. His time to discuss anything is very limited by this.

Re: Is Q&A official?
 

Hmm... I think my wife could be a head referee then... she's had lots of practice with those kind of guidelines. :)

Jason

(joking, dear... just joking around... see the smiley?)

Re: Is Q&A official?
 

You are in big trouble now!!!!!!!

Re: Is Q&A official?
 

It seems interesting to me that we are asking Q and A if Q and A are a source of official rules/interpretations....

That would mean that in order to prove that Q and A were to be used by the Head Referee as if they were rules that Q and A would have to provide an answer that said the were....

Isn't this kind of strange logic?

It would seem to me that that question has to be spelled out somewhere else that had HIGHER authority than Q and A

:confused:

Re: Is Q&A official?
 

As they have continually been telling us that Q&A has a low priority in the precedence of authorities, my goal in keeping on asking questions is to hint to the GDC that maybe they should lay this out clearly in the manual next year. Or maybe a Team Update would be nice this year.

Re: Is Q&A official?
 

Having a rule in the manual that states the above would certainly be consistent with the idea that the head referee has the final word. It would also make the Q&A almost meaningless.

Since it is the GDC that is answering the questions posed by teams that are unclear on the rules as written, their responses should have at least the same precedence as the manual, since the resulting effective rule is the combination of the original and the clarification.

Further, I'll argue that other teams actively use this combination of rule and clarification(s) as their de facto set of rules, again because it is the GDC that is providing the answers.

For the case at hand, "It was consequential, because the pyramid appeared to shift when touched", or "you're right, it shouldn't have been a red card" would have been acceptable explanations. "I don't recognize the Q&A as official" is not.