[dtengineering]

There are some advantages to doing a non-VEX game with the VEX components early in the year, especially if it is simpler than the VEX game.

Based on my experience teams who are building a robot for the first time find just building a moving drive base can be a challenge, and building a manipulator to be even more so.

By keeping the challenge simple (and I wouldn't describe any of the FRC remakes as "simple" unless they were significantly distilled) it gives rookies a chance to focus on just putting together a kitbot and making it do something, thus giving them a basis on which to design their first real competition bot to play the game.

So even though we're not likely to cross the continent to play the game, my suggestion is that if the goal is to support rookies, make it a game that is simple enough that they can compete with a simple machine (maybe limit robots to five motor/servos and two sensors, or require all robots to be based on the kitbot design in the VEX manual with one added mechanism) and devote at least part of the day to programming workshops. Either that, or target it to returning teams and just play the new VRC game (either as an official competition or as a big practice session).

Jason

edit: or, for something completely different... don't announce the challenge until the morning of the event, and require all the teams to build their robots over the next four to five hours.... you could even mix up teams, putting rookie students together with veteran team members from different schools/teams.