If a fight doesn't end in a knockout, then it's up to the judges to decide which robot is the winner. To do this, points are awarded to each robot. The robot with more points wins.

For each fight, there are three judges. Each judge has 15 points that they can distribute to the robots as they see fit. Those 15 points are broken down into the categories of Aggression, Damage, and Strategy.

Each judge splits 5 points between the robots based on Aggression. Basically, Aggression is how a robot attacks its opponent. Many factors are considered, including the number of attacks and how successful the attacks were. The robot considered more aggressive under these guidelines receives more points.

Each judge splits 5 points between the robots based on Damage. Damage is just that -- how much a robot is able to damage its opponent. The judges consider how each robot used its weapons or the hazards to harm the other, but they do not consider self-inflicted damage. Also, minor scrapes and cuts do not necessarily factor into damage, either.

Each judge splits 5 points between the robots based on Strategy. This is the controversial scoring category, as it requires the judges to determine what each robot's strategy was for the fight, then decide how well each robot carried out its strategy.

The 5 points in each category are split based on which robot did better in each category. If the robots were fairly even in a category, a 3-2 score will be given. If one robot did nothing in a category, it will be on the losing side of a 5-0 score.

The points are totaled, and the robot with more points wins, regardless of whether the score was as close as 23-22 or as lopsided as 45-0.

The exact wording of the rules regarding the judging system can be found at the official BattleBots web site. There is also a Judges' Guide available on that page, which explains in detail what each of the categories entail. This is the document we will be referring to when we judge fights.

Back to The Fans Judge