Wright State University
8th Annual Trebuchet Competition

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Operators

for the year 2009

Rules or comments that have changed or been added since last year are highlighted like this. Really important things are highlighted like this.

You are the trebuchet operators. You are at the command of your general, but you will need to take initiatives to win.

Moving

1. You may not leave the playing field.
2. You may not leave arm's reach of your trebuchet. This will result in capture of the trebuchet. There will be no mercy by the judges for violations of this rule.
3. A clock judge will be responsible for timing advancement on the match field. At the clock judge's determination, trebuchets may advance or retreat one section of the battlefield at a time.
4. Only 10 seconds will be allowed for the move.
5. Both teams will move during the 10 second period, and no firing can take place.
6. There will be only two moves in the entire match.
7. Trebuchets may not screen one another, or be positioned to screen their team's "castle".
8. You may not advance your trebuchet outside of the playing field.
9. Trebuches may be pivoted (rotated) for aiming.
10. Trebuchets may not pivot for the purpose of dodging a projectile.
11. No match will be given more than 20 minutes, including setup time. If a match ends by decree, then the judges will vote for a winner.
12. You may take the role of the captain, should it be necessary. You may only act as the captain from the Captain's Area. Your trebuchet will be forfeited and must be removed from the playing field.

Tasks/Goals

1. You will need to follow the targeting information from your assistants and the captain.
2. You may not hit a target with anything other than the projectile.
3. You may not obstruct a projectile from hitting a target or the "castle". If a judge believes that you might have acted as an obstruction, then that target will be considered destroyed. (TIP: Don't stand in front of any targets or "castles"). This has, in previous years, cost a team a match, and who knows, maybe the war.
4. You may not hoard ammunition. You must return ammunition that your team is not using. If your team, at any time, has 75% of the projectiles, you must send at least 10 back to the other side. If the opposing team runs out of ammunition on account of hoarding, your hits will be disqualified.
5. Your team's objective is to destroy the enemy "castle". However, if all opposing team trebuchets are destroyed, your team is victorious by default.
6. If your trebuchet's target is hit, you must leave the playing field immediately, along with your trebuchet. Be careful not to obstruct any projectiles.

Safety

1. You may not throw projectiles. You MAY roll them to other operators or to the assistants.
2. Your trebuchet must always be safe to operate, with no loose pieces, and may not swing in such a way as to potentially harm any participant.
3. You must wear safety goggles at all times. Your trebuchet will be declared destroyed if corrective action is not taken after the first warning.

Trebuchet Maintenance

1. Your trebuchet must conform to the trebuchet design guidelines.
2. You must maintain your target during the match. Correction must be made immediately when notified during a match. You will only be warned once about illegal targets. The second notice will be removal of the trebuchet from the match.
3. If your target is found to be undersized, you may not participate in a match.
4. If, after a match, the opposing team contests that your targets were undersized, and the claim is substantiated, then your team will be disqualified, and the opposing team will advance.
5. Intentional modification of the target to reduce it's effective size will result in immediate expulsion from the match, and from your team.
6. No part of the trebuchet may interfere with an opponents projectile. If a projectile hits a part of a trebuchet that shades the target (either the trebuchet's target or the "castle"), the target will be considered to have been hit. Advice: after firing, get the arm back out of the way
7. Operators may make minor repairs, such as fixing a broken sling, during a match. This does not include re-attaching fallen counterweights; see the trebuchet design rules concerning counterweight loss during match. Further clarification of the definition of a "minor repair" falls to the judges of the match, who have the final say whether or not a trebuchet must leave the playing field.

...for those who like to hurl