As I understand, the bridge can have 3 different starting positions (tilted in either direction or balanced) as long as both teams agree to the position chosen. Will this same allowance hold true for Skills Challenges?
Yes, it will. According to the rule manual, on page 20: The Robot Skills Challenge field is set up as described in “The Game” section of this manual.
This brings up an interesting question:
During Programming Skills, as it states in the Game Manual:
<****PSC1> A team may handle their *Robot *as many times as they want during a Programming Skills
*Match.*
a. Upon handling the Robot, it must be immediately brought back to a legal starting position
Can a student tip the bridge to a different position when placing the robot back into a legal starting position in the middle of a programming skills attempt?
That question has been asked in the official Q&A, but doesn’t have an answer. I would say no, the bridge is set at the beginning of the match, and only the robot can manipulate it after that, but it isn’t clear.
As Daddycrusader mentioned this has been asked but not responded to. Personally, I hope that student manipulation of the game elements is not allowed during programming skills… not only does it make it a bit too easy for balance attempts, but how would you handle hexballs that were on the bridge, etc?
Where did you read that the bridge would start in either down position? I thought it started in the neutral (both up) position?
It’s in the Bridge definition (page 5 of rulebook.)