My answer is rather different from the others - If necessary, in a post that I would need some time to compose, I think I can stand all of the opposing arguments on their heads; after making two statements.
The first statement is that
you have to ask your allies. If they give you a green light, then you all (all three in FRC, or all two in FTC)
show up on the field and use the match as a valuable practice match in which you all WIN the long term "game" (
in the game theory sense) by scoring fewer points than your opponents do in this particular match.
The second statement (part A) is that you have to be in a situation where alliance captains are not allowed to pick each other as allies. I have seen this rule put into play in more than one
OFF-season or local league event. I 110% realize that current FRC regionals and FTC championships allow alliance captains to pick other captains in the first round of picks. Also, (part B) if you are counting on being the second pick of a powerful alliance (and you are unable to decline other captains' invitations) then I agree that the risk of being picked by the "wrong" alliance makes the odds very tough to predict.
uring the match each member of the alliance can use the match to show their robot's best features to potential scouts, or to just have fun (maybe sub in the second string drive team).
The strategy can be both mathematically sound and I contend that asking your allies (and abiding by their wishes) 100% fulfills any GP obligations. So long as you correctly handle the social/scouting aspects of the situation off the field; a game theoretician would likely call you nuts to do anything other than attempt to lose the one match, when you are in the situation Fred described.
Blake
PS: Please give me 30 second head start before you release the hounds
