Xerxdeej sets sail at yonder website TiedTheLeader.com . Within TTL, ye'll find a swashbuckling community of magnificent scoundrels, including an active clan who be a plunderin' nightly. Along with the band o' scoundrels, ye shall find a scroll , which be nigh the most popular of the high seas o' Halo. Read this here piece, visit their port and see if ye be brave enough to join their ranks!
Who are you, what do you do outside of the webernets, what's your favorite food, who's your favorite author, what kind of car do you drive, boxers or briefs?
I am XerxdeeJ, Founder and Minister of Propaganda at ‘Tied the Leader’. When I am not piloting a Warthog for my clan, I am traveling the world to seek out designers who need photography from a little company called Getty Images. If I don’t say that my favorite author is Stephen King, I will get fragged in the back by a clan full’o Gunslingers. I drive a Nissan Xterra – the closest I could come to a ‘Hog on my budget.
Under my Mjolnir, I am clad in boxerbriefs of numerous colors and exciting patterns.
Can you explain to our readers what Tied the Leader is, and what functions it serves in the Halo community?
‘Tied the Leader’ is, admittedly, not for everyone. Our community toes a very hard line on sportsmanship. It can be a stern message, but I try to package it in a way that will amuse the reader. We respect our opponents, and we admire their success when they defeat us. We send cheaters and griefers walking the plank of our sarcasm. For over a year now, the blog has been seeking out sportsmen (and women) who play the game the way it is meant to be played. This started with building a clan of gentlemen and ladies, and has evolved into building a network of worthy opponents and challengers.
In honor of the day... Pirate or Ninja? Answer thoroughly.
Pirates! I can’t break party lines on this one. Not today. I learned to sail the high seas of the Chesapeake Bay when I was in college. Pirates have much more vibrant fashions, while Ninjas are always fighting off the Goth Kids at the ‘I Wear All Black Store’. Pirates have tall ships with cannons, while Ninjas have to walk. I have even been known to scream “Ramming Speed!” over team chat on Xbox Live.
Tied the Leader recently merged with Dead Man's Hand. What does that mean for your respective communites and how can we expect to see this improve the experience your site delivers? Is it still pending FTC approval?
Dead Man’s Hand was started by members over at ‘Tied the Leader’, so the communities are really one in the same. Now, we are now speaking from one site with one voice. Readers can expect TTL and DMH to work in unison to keep churning out content that adds to the chorus of gamer culture. The biggest obstacle we faced in merging the blogs was answering all of those FTC questions about Dweezle’s numerous off-shore bank accounts in Grand Cayman. He has assured me that those funds are just “walking around money”.
What kind of issues does the TTL blog typically touch on?
That can be hard to categorize. I can tell you that it’s not a news blog. We don’t try to break any stories. That is left up to you fine people. We tell the war stories that grow out of multiplayer gaming, be it online or at a LAN Party. I like to cast the average gamer as either hero or villain. We lure honorable clans into our challenge parlor for a friendly war. We answer reader mail, and poll the community for their opinions on what constitutes a “Good Game”. With the inclusion of Dead Man’s Hand, our readers can expect weekly interviews with pillars of the gaming community that travel off the beaten path.
What's your favorite Halo 2 gametype, including map?
My favorite stock playlist offering? 1 Flag CTF on Relic. Don’t change a thing about it! My favorite custom? A variant we call ‘Boss Hogg’. It’s a non-moving King of the Hill, best played on Coagulation. Everyone wears an Overshield and is equipped with a Brute Shot and a Shotgun. The table is set with nothing but Gauss Hogs, and I force you to drive them. If you sit in the hill, you pack a heavier punch and you take a punch with less damage. Those Overshilds extend around the Hog, so they are almost Halo:CE strong. Almost, that is... All of my favorite customs seek to contrive a good ol’ demolition derby.
What can you tell me about the tournaments posted on your site?
I can tell you that they are over. On our site, we have links to our ‘Halolympics’ and our ‘Tour de Halo’ as monuments to the work done by a former Webmaster. We grew tired of Gunslinger on Gunslinger violence. If I were to host a tournament, I would rather it happen at a LAN Party. We are LAN fanatics. There is usually one being planned at any given moment on our forums. Have Xbox, will travel. Right now, we are far more interested in seeking out new clans to collide with than we are in running tournaments among our own clan. Just last night, we promoted 6 new Challenge Captains to fan out in search of fresh opponents. At the same time, we are putting the finishing touches on an MLG Team. Beware.
If you could have one wish granted in Halo 3, what would it be?
Halo 3 is a wish come true enough for me. It’s a relief to know that all of our teammates and allies won’t be scattered by the four winds to other games. Last week, I would have wished for smarter AI to man the tailgun on my Warthog, but you already granted that one. So, I guess I could use this opportunity to ask that you restore Clanmatches. You obviously don’t need my advice to turn out a good product, as you haven’t asked for it until now.