We don’t think so at ‘Tied the Leader’. Not even close.

Since the discontinuation of team-based Matchmaking in Halo2, the Gunslingers have never been busier planning customized challenges against worthy opponents. Where there is a will, there is a way. Now that active Halo2 clans no longer have a ranked system for automatic battles built into Bungie’s software, the fight has spilled out into the streets of Cyberspace.

When gamers cluster together into virtual teams, the experience expands to a life outside the shared game of choice. Websites crop up to establish the culture and personality of each fighting force. Each team [be they clan or guild] embraces their own hero brand. Roving bands of geeks converge upon projects to erect a barracks that exists only in the imagination. Online empires rise and fall.

The best aspect of this community is when these varied armies seek each other out to battle for supremacy and bragging rights.

Since the inception of an online presence for the Official Clan of ‘Tied the Leader’, July promises to be the busiest month to date for Clan Challenges against the Gunslingers. When the 5-man Clanmatch unexpectedly entered the clearing at the end of the path, our friendly rivals swarmed the Challenge Board of our MidWorld Forum – hungry for blood and anxious for healthy competition. In some cases, we even sent out our own scouting parties in search of able clans willing to participate in arranged combat.

Have a look at some of the more vivid players in the clan scene:

This was a match of our instigating. A member of our clan sought these gamers out and threw down the gauntlet – or the controller, or whatever. It would seem that the Praetorians are not the only Romans to be found in the community of Halo gamers. The Gunslingers squared off against The Obsidian Order just the other night. The entire evening could be described by the catchy phrase “Tied the Leader”. After a nail-biter of a stalemate on Zanzibar, each clan claimed a victory [both moral and tactical] in the matches that followed. A good time was had by all as we waged the couch war against this honorable band.

Much has been said about 2old2play on this site. They have long been valued allies in the war against immaturity in gaming. While we Gunslingers may surrender an inch of territory here and there on our standards for checking birth certificates at the door to our Recruitment Offices, our goals are very much the same as the people who lead this cadre of 25+ aged gamers. A match against a clan hailing from the sprawling online community at 2old2play.com always promises to be a quality experience in gaming. This bout, the Gunslingers assault the retirement home for a clash with the Wheezing Geezers clan. Recruitment for this event was a challenge in and of itself, as the Wheezers arrived at our doorstep brimming with five full squads seeking our brand of carnage and mayhem. Professional-grade squads. Intermediate squads. Novice squads. We will fight them on the beaches of Relic. We will fight them on the fields of Coagulation. We will fight them in the streets of Foundation. All of this happens today!

After much planning and conspiracy, the Gunslingers will finally collide head-on with the holy prophets from TruthRegret. This serious band of gamers maintain an intimate community for those committed to their craft. Founded all the way back in December of 2004 [that’s an Ice Age in Clan Years], the people at TR can boast an impressive amount of seniority. Before this gamer got married, I didn’t even have a real life romantic entanglement that lasted that long! This is truly a brotherhood for the faithful. Clan hoppers need not apply. Our challenge against this juggernaut happens on July 21. Wait a minute, that’s a Friday! Let us hope this does not get in the way of my beloved tradition for Happy Hour – or result in a humiliating buzzkill.

The Straight Riders are a new entry in our network of opponents. Check out the organization at work in their War College. Nothing is spoken out of code. You can’t say thank you to a teammate in this clan without using SWAT-speak. Like any clan that grows beyond the roster for a Big Team Battle, the Riders have organized into color-coded squads – in the effort of tighter teamwork. It will be interesting to see how these gamers bring it.

On a long enough timeline, the Gunslingers will also face the Winged Warriors. Oh yes we will. While their leader has been hiking the trails of Appalachia, we have been sharpening our game. Our serendipitous encounters with this crew through Matchmaking have been, well, less than victorious.

Does any of this sound like fun? The Clanmatch System at TTL is alive and well, friends. What are you waiting for? Assemble a flock of your finest assassins, and set a meeting…

Posted by XerxdeeJ