Official Q&A: VRC 2019-2020: Tower Takeover
548: Applicability of Rule G14
The game manual has the following entires for rules G13 and G14:
G13 Offensive Robots get the “benefit of the doubt”. In the case where referees are forced to make a judgment call regarding a destructive interaction between a defensive and offensive Robot, or an interaction which results in a questionable rules violation, the referees will err on the side of the offensive Robot. G14 You can’t force an opponent into a penalty. Intentional strategies that cause an opponent to violate a rule are not permitted, and will not result in an infraction on the opposing Alliance. Minor violations of this rule that do not affect the Match will result in a warning. Match Affecting offenses will result in a Disqualification. Teams that receive multiple warnings may also receive a Disqualification at the Head Referee’s discretion.
In Q&A 449, it was ruled that, in one of the presented scenarios, a robot may be forced into a penalty by their opponent, notwithstanding rule G14. The explanation cited G13 as the reasoning, and explicitly indicated that G14's protection from being forced into a penalty does not apply in the given situation; we read that as indicating that G13 can, in some (but not necessarily all) scenarios, overrule G14.
The game manual does not appear to place any limits on the application of first clause of G14, however this ruling does. Our question is: What are the limits of G14? In what scenarios is it overruled by G13? Are there other rules that can overrule it or scenarios in which it does not apply, and if so, under what conditions?
Thank you for taking the time to answer our question.
We cannot provide a blanket response for this question that would encompass all hypothetical Robot interactions, Match contexts, and Head Referee judgment calls.
Q&A 449 provided a specific and detailed scenario that uniquely placed SG3, G13, and G14 in conflict. Therefore, we were able to answer in the context of that specific instance (and provide some guidelines for similar interactions).