…And now for some good, old-fashioned Gunslinger Propaganda. You are invited to drop to one knee around the campfire.

Pardon the blatant self-promotion, Constant Reader. This post is not a profile of another gamer or another community that keeps the Halo Nation populated with fresh souls. For just a moment, we would like to ascend the soap box and open a window into the world of the ‘Tied the Leader’ Gunslingers. In this instance, we are pulling the curtain of the MidWorld Forum back to showcase some of the goings-on among the gamers who keep promises of sportsmanship and good games made on our mast-head.

As of post-time, the Official Halo 2 Clan of ‘Tied the Leader’ has reached its capacity. We are 100 Gunslingers strong. Rather than an arbitrary land-grab of gamertags from momentarily-willing recruits, we have painstakingly cultivated an Active Roster of dedicated Spartans [and a few Elites, for decoration]. Our Minister of Personnel, an Overlord known as Stuicide, has held our membership to standards of constant activity in the digital warzone. A Gunslinger is a gamer, after all, and a gamer plays a game.

There is no room for fair-weather in MidWorld. We seek to nurture a storm of gamers who are at the ready for rapid deployment to skirmish maps like Zanzibar and Relic or Containment. Accept no substitutes. When you come across a posse of TTL Gunslingers, you will be given a fair-shake to pry your victory from our cold, dead hands. Speak your lesson and say it true. We defend the notions of sportsmanship as ruthlessly as we defend our flag.

Tragically, we have lost our fair share of good boys to sloth – sadly removed from our ranks after more than one full month of inactivity. Some just went AWOL. Others departed through doors to other worlds than these. World of Warcraft claimed a few guns. Gears of War removed a COG or two from our Halo 2 war machine. Our census numbers have long been a moving target. For months, we dangled the elusive “Century Milestone” in front of our tireless recruitment officer, while he patiently welcomed newcomers to our forum and ran them through our gauntlet of trials.

With 100 gamers on board, our expansion hits a wall. The TTL Gunslingers have always professed to be “one from many”. One team. Many gamers. We make no distinctions based on skill or seniority or time zone. We cover territory from British Columbia to Mexico City. There will be no expansion clan. There will be no farm team. The most hopeless n00b [who may very well be this blogging Overlord] is on equal footing with the most practiced MLG hopeful.

This milestone begs the question: What does an Overlord High Council do with that many active gamers?

We have found it especially rewarding to keep our troops busy with Challenges planned with our allies. The surest means of a good game is to select a good opponent. Under the supervision of Challege Captain bs angel, the Gunslingers have also welcomed friends from other sovereign states in the Halo Nation for some recreational simulations of violence. We call them BYOG Parties. To attend, one must bring their favorite weapon, and they must Bring Their Own Game – a custom that allows them to stack the deck in their favor for just one round. The emphasis is not on bragging rights or victory. The goal is fun – and community. These events are planned through invitations to our allies.

Not an ally? It’s not hard to become one. Stop by our forums, and tell TTL Ambassador Tortacular that you came from the blog. If you have perused this site, but have yet to meet us in the game, step forward and make your ‘tag known.

The pride and joy of the Gunslingers is the TTL Foundation. Working together, we have built a project of altruism that enables an homage to the real soldiers of the world. No matter one’s political views on War and its prosecution, it takes a heart harder than ours to turn a blind eye to suffering on the part of the Gunslingers who are wounded in real-life armed combat – where there is no respawn. To date, the TTL Foundation has raised approximately $500 through proceeds from the TTL Store, as well as charitable donations from gamers who value our cause. TTL is in the business of engineering a good game, however. To have a positive impact on the lives of wounded combat veterans, we seek out partners who fight on the front lines of wellness and healing. As our first beneficiary, the Azalea Charities will put this money toward the aid of wounded combat veterans.

And so… Here we stand. At ‘Tied the Leader’, we are building a bridge to Halo 3. As the Beta looms, almost 50 Gunslingers hold reservations for seats on advanced launch boats. Some were selected by Phase One lottery. Others were drawn by the Rule of Three. Yet more have laid down their fist-full of dollars for the right to “crackdown” on any poor sports who show their face in the impending multiplayer test. In keeping with tradition, a bounty will be placed on their heads prior to beta launch.

We will be among those who are first to [finish the] fight. We will see you on the beaches. Say thankya.

Posted by XerxdeeJ