The following FAQ was created as an attempt to help those who are new better understand grifball as well as help them find their way around the community.

If you are a regular to the game of grifball and having something you’d like to contribute to this FAQ, please don’t hesitate to contact us. You can also find more information on the game of grifball here, via Halo Wiki.

What the heck is Grifball?
Grifball is an online video game “sport” played on custom maps within Halo 3. It features two teams of four, armed with hammers and swords. A round bomb is placed in the center of the court. At the beginning of each round teams rush to the middle of the court in “tip-off” fashion, to retrieve the bomb. The goal is simple – arm the bomb by planting it on the opposing team’s goal. There are nine untimed rounds. The first team to five wins.

So, how exactly do I play Grifball?
You need an XBOX 360 and a copy of Halo 3. For further instructions, check out the following article – How to play grifball in Halo 3.

Are there player positions in Grifball?
Yes, there certainly are. Some people are comfortable playing any position that’s necessary for their team, while others focus primarily on one task.

• Trick Runner – This is the guy who carries the ball and is responsible for scoring. It’s also his job to function as a quarterback for the team and make callouts for his teammates. A vocal runner is usually much more successful than one who is not.
• Tanks – A tanks job is really quite simple. Plow through everything in their way and create a path for the runner. Most tanks prefer to use their hammer the majority of the time, however there are some tanks that rely on the sword. They would be referred to as Sword Tanks. Tanks are also responsible for keeping the opposing team’s defenders busy, causing them to lose track of the ball.
• Hybrids – A Hybrid is basically a jack of all trades. They’re capable of doing whatever is necessary to get the job done, whether it be tanking, running or defending. Many teams now assemble themselves primarily with Hybrids, allowing them to field much more versatile line-ups.
• Defenders – A defender’s number one job is to keep track of the opposing team’s runner and do whatever it takes to not allow them to score. These will be the players who stay back behind their teammates, shadow the opposing team’s runner, make callouts and sniff out launches.

Can grifball only be played in custom games?
Most of the time, yes. However once a month Bungie includes a grifball playlist in matchmaking, courtesy of their double XP weekends. You’ll find many grifball league members playing there. Double XP grifball varies from custom grifball in that the rounds are timed and games have five rounds instead of nine. Sadly Double XP grifball along with all other Double XP playlists will be ending soon once Halo Reach is released. The odds are probably good that something similar will replace them in Reach however.

Will there be grifball in Halo Reach?
Yes. That’s been confirmed. It will have its own pre-built gametype and map which will ship on the disc. What hasn’t been confirmed is anything regarding playlists or how the game will play in comparison to Halo 3 grifball.

Grifball has a league? Really?
Indeed it does. Two, in fact. The Grifball.com league runs three times a year via Spring, Summer, and Winter leagues. GrifballHub’s Good Games League, a non-competitive Grifball league, runs every couple of months here on the Hub.

I’d like to join a grifball team, how do I do that?
Over on the Rooster Teeth forums, there’s a thread set up specifically for players and teams. Teams may post when they’re holding open tryouts or simply when they are looking for a specific type of player. Players are welcome to post if they are looking to be part of a team. The alternative to joining an already established team is creating your own. Find three friends who love grifball as much as you do and start up a team!

Okay, so I created a team, where do we sign up?
Keep yours eyes on Grifball.com. The seasonal leagues do not have specific start and end dates, so you’ll need to keep watch and wait for them to open up the sign-ups for each season. In the meantime you should continue to get in as much practice with your team as you can. Find other teams to scrimmage with. It will only help to improve your game.

I love those live interviews. Can you interview my team?
Sure! The Hub is open to doing interviews with any Grifball team, regardless of your experience. To set up an interview, e-mail Goosechecka as goose@grifballhub.com.

Can I write for the Hub?
The Hub is always looking for new perspectives. If you have an article or an idea for an article, e-mail Goosechecka at goose@grifballhub.com. As long as your write-up is informative and doesn’t include personal attacks or name-calling, we’d be happy to post it on the site and give you full credit.