Stronghold was a medieval-themed game where alliances of three robots each worked together to breach their opponents’ defenses and capture their tower. The field featured various “defenses” (called the outer works) that robots had to cross, including drawbridges, moats, and ramps, which changed during the competition. Robots scored points by shooting foam "boulders" into the opposing alliance’s tower, and could also earn ranking points by fully breaching the defenses and scaling the tower at the end of the match. Strategy and teamwork were key, as alliances had to coordinate who would tackle which obstacle and how best to damage the tower.