FTC Kickoff Game Analysis Sheet

Use this page at kickoff to help students move from "what is the game?" to "what should our robot do first?"

This sheet is organized in three parts:

• student worksheet
• coach discussion prompts
• scoring and strategy matrix

Student Worksheet

Team/Students: ____________________

Game: ____________________

Date: ____________________

Part 1: Learn the Game

1. What are all the ways to score?

__________________________________________________

1. What can be scored in autonomous?

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1. What can be scored in driver control?

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1. What can be scored in endgame?

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1. What actions score the most points?

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1. What actions seem easiest to do reliably?

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1. What actions seem difficult or risky?

__________________________________________________

1. What penalties do we need to avoid?

__________________________________________________

Part 2: Understand the Rules

1. What are the robot size and starting limits?

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1. What can the robot do to game pieces?

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1. What is the robot not allowed to do?

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1. Are there limits on height, extension, control, or contact?

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1. What rules seem most important for inspection and match play?

__________________________________________________

Part 3: Robot Restrictions and Constraints

1. What are the maximum starting size limits?

__________________________________________________

1. When can the robot expand, and how far?

__________________________________________________

1. Are there height or extension limits?

__________________________________________________

1. How many game pieces can the robot control at once?

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1. What contact with field elements is illegal?

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1. What contact with other robots is illegal?

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1. Are there limits on pinning, blocking, or defense?

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1. What actions could cause penalties or disablement?

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1. What mechanism ideas are not legal in this game?

__________________________________________________

Part 4: Think About Match Strategy

1. What is the simplest way to score points?

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1. What is the fastest cycle we can imagine?

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1. What part of the game should we focus on first?

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1. Is autonomous important in this game? Why?

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1. Is endgame important in this game? Why?

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1. Where will robots probably get stuck, slowed down, or blocked?

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1. What do strong alliances probably need to do to win?

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Part 5: Decide What the Robot Must Do

1. What does the robot absolutely need to do?

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1. What would be nice to have if there is time?

__________________________________________________

1. What should we ignore for now?

__________________________________________________

1. What sensors might help?

__________________________________________________

1. What mechanisms might we need?

__________________________________________________

Part 6: Final Decisions

Our best first strategy:

__________________________________________________

Our robot must do these 3 things:

1. ________________________________
2. ________________________________
3. ________________________________

Our version 1 robot should be able to:

__________________________________________________

Our biggest risks are:

__________________________________________________

Coach Discussion Prompts

Goal

Students should leave kickoff with:

• a clear understanding of scoring
• a basic strategy choice
• a first-pass robot requirements list
• a short list of priorities and risks

Part 1: Understand the Game

Ask:

• What scores points?
• When can each scoring action happen?
• Which scoring actions are high value?
• Which scoring actions look repeatable?
• Which ones are likely traps because they are flashy but hard?

Push students to separate:

• high points
• high difficulty
• high reliability

Part 2: Understand Constraints

Ask:

• What limits robot design?
• What starting constraints matter?
• What interaction rules matter?
• What actions could accidentally become penalties?

Coach prompts:

• Show me the exact rule.
• Is that allowed, or are we assuming?
• Would that pass inspection?

Part 3: Robot Restrictions and Constraints

Ask:

• What are the maximum starting size limits?
• When can the robot expand, and by how much?
• Are there height, extension, or volume limits?
• How many game pieces can the robot legally control?
• What field contact is illegal?
• What robot-to-robot contact is illegal?
• What defense is legal, and what crosses the line into penalties?
• Which mechanism ideas should we reject because they are not legal?

Coach prompts:

• Point to the exact restriction in the manual.
• Is this a hard rule or a strategy preference?
• Would this design still pass inspection after we add all mechanisms?
• What is the easiest way this robot could get a penalty?

Part 4: Strategy

Ask:

• If we were playing our first event tomorrow, how would we try to win?
• What scores well without requiring a perfect robot?
• What part of the match matters most: auto, teleop, or endgame?
• What can be done many times per match?
• What takes too long to be worth it?

Coach prompts:

• Would you rather do a hard task once or an easy task six times?
• What wins more matches: peak score or reliable score?

Part 5: Robot Requirements

Ask:

• What must the robot physically do?
• What game piece locations matter?
• What accuracy is needed?
• What speed is needed?
• What is the minimum robot that still helps an alliance?

Coach prompt:

• Turn strategy into requirements.
• Example: "We want to score quickly" becomes "robot must intake from floor in under X seconds."

Part 6: Prioritize

Have students sort ideas into:

• must have
• nice to have
• stretch goals

Coach prompts:

• If build season ended in 2 weeks, what would we keep?
• What helps us score earliest and most reliably?

Expected Outputs

Students should produce:

• a list of all scoring actions
• a ranking of scoring options by value, difficulty, and reliability
• a list of robot restrictions and penalty risks
• a chosen strategy focus
• a must-have robot feature list
• a version 1 robot scope
• a risk list

Scoring and Strategy Matrix

Scoring Matrix

Game Task	Phase	Points	Easy/Med/Hard	Reliable?	Time Needed	Risk/Penalty Risk	Worth Focusing On?	Notes
Example: Score in low goal	Teleop	3	Easy	High	Low	Low	Yes	Good starter task

Strategy Summary

Question	Team Answer
Best scoring focus
Best autonomous goal
Best teleop goal
Best endgame goal
Highest-value realistic task
Simplest reliable task
Biggest rule concern
Biggest design risk
Minimum competitive robot
Version 1 robot focus

Robot Requirements

Requirement	Priority	Why It Matters
Drive around field	Must Have
Intake game piece	Must Have
Score in target area	Must Have
	Nice To Have
	Nice To Have
	Stretch Goal

Suggested Kickoff Outcome

By the end of kickoff, the team should be able to say:

• how they plan to score points
• which game tasks are realistic for their current team
• which robot ideas are legal and which should be avoided
• what the version 1 robot must do
• which ideas are being saved for later