Hello everyone. I promised something new this week, and I come fulfilling that promise. This week marks the start of a new piece on the TTL Blog called Clan Profile. Each week I will profile a new Clan/Community of gamers. There are many out there, some run blogs, some have charities, others just have a Humpday Challenge under their belt. Regardless of what they have done, how many websites they run, or how large their memberships are, many Clans stand a cut above the rest. Sportsmanship, respect, brotherhood, and fair gameplay are the founding elements of some of the greatest clans out there. Hopefully with these profiles I will touch on most of these amazing communities around us today.

This week, to kick it all off I had a talk with Jungle Animal from The Panic Attacks. The Panic Attacks have been long time friends and allies with the Gunslingers, the Tied the Leader Clan. We have had numerous clan matches, mostly in Halo (Clan Challenge, or MLG Challenge), but one was in UNO (just as bloody and strategic). They always bring a tough challenge, and an enjoyable one too. Here are the questions I asked Jungle Animal.

How and when did your clan start up?
The clan originated under the banner of “Clan that must not be named” (which is an inside joke) in December of 2diggety4. We became “thePanicAttacks” in July of 2diggety5. We had to use “diggety” because the kaiser stole our word “thousand”.

What meaning does your clan’s name hold?
We strike fear into the hearts of our opponents. It actually took years of study in fearology (the science of fear, for those who don’t know) to discover the exact sequence of letters that would intimidate all that looked upon it. It certainly wasn’t a name that we came up with at 2 am, and thought we would change later, but then became attached to so we kept it…no…ummm…certainly not.

How many people call your clan home?
We have a stable of about 50-60 strong members at all times. Like my stomach at Thanksgiving, we tend to balloon at times, but we always trim the fat by bikini season so that we always have a tight knit group of active members. Soon though, we will have a diggety members, and then there will be nothing stopping us from world domination.

How do you go about luring and screening recruits?
We send all recruits into Antarctica with only an Xbox controller and a bendy straw. If they come back alive, we make sure that they post on our forums, they are good teammates (no lone wolfs), and they blend well with our current members, and then they will be given the opportunity for promotion into the clan.

What are some unique bylaws that your clan enforces?
We always look to keep our clan atmosphere relaxed and enjoyable. To that extent, we don’t allow political talk on our forums, but that is about all. Other than that, we let our members explore their space and blossom into the Spartan that they want to be.

What do you do to build camaraderie in your ranks?
All members are required to stand in a line as the Overlords shoot paintballs at them. We have them hold each other’s hands while they do this, and it tends to really bond them. We also have a variety of other forms of camaraderie. When a member posts a picture they get a place in the “Why I Wanna Be a TPA Rockstar” video running 24/7 in our media section, we run fantasy sports leagues, and by the time anybody reads this interview we will have had our first LAN party.

What is the best way to get booted from your clan?
Well, other than cheating, playing with a cheater, or questioning an Overlord, the quickest way to get the bootety boot would probably be misrepresenting the clan, either by being rude in a clanmatch or on foreign forums.

What gametypes does your clan prefer?
Our clan is all skirmish, all the time. When playing custom, it is rare to see a slayer gametype unless it is really outlandish (zombies, Braveheart, etc…).

What is your poison/passion: Matchmaking? Customs? Challenges? MLG?
Depends on the day and the whim of the party leader. As soon as there are more than 8 members online, all matchmaking ends and “Customs” begin. We challenge other clans as often as possible, and we have recently assembled an MLG squad, so professionals beware.

What is the closest game your clan has had in a Clan Challenge?
Our dominance has never been challenged. Wait…disregard that…the Gunslingers challenge it every time we meet them. The closest game would probably be the first time we matched up, in the lowball game on Gemini. That one was sick close. I threw up just watching the video (at the bottom of the media page).

Thanks Jungle for the insight into your clan. The Panic Attacks have been some of our favorite opponents. As mentioned above we have played some of the closest games (the best games, are the close ones, as anyone can tell you) against them. A lot of friends have been made, and you will often see some TPAs in pregame lobbies and matchmaking with Gunslingers. With honesty, respect, and fellowship as some of this clan’s highest priorities, it can be safe to say that anyone will enjoy a match with The Panic Attacks. Thanks for all the great games, keep up the great work.

If you know a clan, or are in a clan that would like to be spotlighted in the Clan Profile then send me an email and tell me about it. Hope everyone enjoyed this week’s profile. Stop back next week for another great clan.

Posted by Dweezle