1. Do you think you play better as a team or separately?

Ron Germany: I think in overall, in “normal” Halo and other things in life we play and do things better as a team. Our minds are so in-tune that we don’t even need to communicate.

However, double teaming the same guy in Grifball has it’s downfalls when my hammer hits her as she swoops across my screen with a lunge. We’re getting better with it, but it still needs some work.

Ron France: I would say definitely as a team. Since my play is more defensive, I know what to expect when playing with my teammates and know exactly what my position is. But if I’m matched up with randoms, often I have to try and tank in with the sword (I always use the sword, expect launches and occasionally defending). I guess the only time I’m really good solo is 1v1 against the ballrunner.

2. If one of you were to retire, would the other also?

Ron Germany: I don’t think that I would, I probably wouldn’t have AS much fun, but we’ve created a nice atmosphere around us and I think that would continue whether or not one of us was there.

Ron France: I don’t think so. I think Germany’s a little more obsessed about Grifball than I am, so if I were to quit I’m sure he’d stay on. But if he were to quit it’d be likely I leave too, since it’s because of him that I really got into it.

3. Who was the first to be in the league? Did joining the league influence you significant other to join – or did they join for other reasons?

Ron Germany: I was the first, and I’m probably the only reason she’s here.

Ron France: Germany joined it first, and after a while I joined as well and we made a team together. Considering every month for 4 days straight I heard nothing but hammering in the background, I decided to give it a try so we could spend more time together. I really didn’t like Grifball at first, mainly cause I was bad with the hammer, but once I switched over to sword I started getting the hang of it and finally enjoyed it.

4. Did you see an improvement in your significant other over this past season? What was the most significant improvement you noticed?

Ron Germany: A massive amount of improvement. She pretty much went from not having a “position” to being Super Defender Pro. Now no one in practice wants to go against her, she’s picked first (Gollum says she’s the only person in GB he can’t stiffarm), and she gets super lunges on the same connection I’m on (leading me to believe it’s more of knowing how to do it rather than solely having the connection). Her defense is the most significant improvement…there’s no one the Nips I would rather have standing in front of our plant with a fullshield bomb coming than France.

Ron France: He’s much better with “ball orientation” as he likes to call it. So rather than just tanking in and steamrolling the other team, he tries to pay attention to where the ball is and actually uses his sword by sneaking up on the ballrunner. Or coming back to our base to help with defense, rather than just spawn camping the other team. I think the most significant improvement though is in his leader abilities. He works really hard to be a good captain, always putting together practice and scrim nights, figuring out the right chemistry for our teammates, knowing who to put in a game. And we have a very active thread on the forums, so us as team are very close and have a good chemistry to play off each other. I think Germany contributed a lot to that.

5. Do you think more women should be involved with Grifball? If so, what positive influence do you believe it would bring to the community?

Ron Germany: Of course! I think an increase in the female sex would take away some of the testosterone induced trash talking that we have. I think that naturally guys tend to calm down more and play more for fun when they’re around girls (you still strive to win, but you lose that extreme competitive edge).

Ron France: Of course, I think in general there should be more female gamers. And if you want to look at Grifball as a sport, women have always provided competition for men, at least in those sports that don’t rely solely on “man power”. Adding women to any testosterone filled group aides in balancing the trash talking and aggression. (Not that women can’t aggressively trash talk… I know I don’t have 100% preferred on my XBL account). Having women in the league helps the socializing tremendously, as well as making some of the guys realize they can’t act like little boys. In short, I think it makes our league a little more respectable and interesting.

6. Do you play any other games with each other besides Halo 3/Grifball?

Ron Germany: Rock Band…she can play the guitar and sing, all I can do is play the drums and do a nice impression of Axl Rose.

Ron France: We also play a lot of Rock Band, him playing the drums and me the guitar. Sometimes I sing, and sometimes he screeches into the mic a-la Axl Rose.

7. Which one of you is better? Why?

Ron Germany: I don’t think either one of us is “better” than the other. In all things we play we have our own styles. We’re both believers in defense, but I feel as though we have our different ways of getting there. In grifball, I tend to plow over people to get what I want, whereas she plays straight up defense. In other gametypes, I tend to be a Ninja (in fact, I’m not even here right now), and she tends to BR/Snipe. So we’re better than most at what we do, but not better than each other.

Ron France: In Grifball he is. Although we play very different positions and with very different styles, I think in the end he’s a better Grifball player. I still think of myself as a noobie, having a nice bombstop here and there. In Halo, I’d have to say I pwn him (sorry Mattie!). But in either, both of us together make each other stronger.

8. What do you believe is the biggest positive change/addition to the Grifball community this year? (such as being on Bungie.net news, GrifballHub, new Admin structure etc.)

Ron Germany: The admin/committee structure. Nothing like having more people’s influence deciding things.

Ron France: Since I’m new to all this, I couldn’t really say. I do like the social networking of the forums though. Helps you put a face to the Master Chief swinging his hammer at you.