and there is blood on the floor

Well here we are . . . well at least I am. I have no idea where you are, so let's assume you are here as well. Perhaps I should introduce myself. I am the madman in the Musings of a Madman. Please don't ask who put the madman in the Musings of a Madman, because I'm not going to laugh.

This is my re-introduction to the Musings of a Madman, a column I have written for a number of (two) different newsletters (Rumblings of Discord and By the Hearth). I have already re-introduced this column once, but I feel it is necessary to do so for all of those who haven't been able to experience my "wit". Let me give you a little background. From Musings of a Madman 18:

Musings of a Madman started as an attempt to get members of The Arcane to contribute to an electronic newsletter called Rumblings of Discord. Rumblings of Discord started so I could inform people on session dates, upcoming events and other such pieces of slander. By issue eight, it had grown into a thing of epic proportions, and that's where the first Musings of a Madman appeared. It was somewhere where I could put things that didn't fit, but quickly grew into something entirely bigger.

This is where Musings of a Madman started, in The Arcane's official weekly newsletter entitled Rumblings of Discord. Eventually I hope to present all seventeen of the original columns which appeared in that "illustrious" publication, uncut from their original form. They aren't half as good as I make them out to be, having looked over them recently, but they were certainly the highlight of an otherwise dull an dreary publication. From Musings of a Madman 18 (again):

Rumblings of Discord died at issue twenty-five because I had enough of putting together a newsletter no one contributed to. It went off with a bang, with the Deluxe Collector's issue weighing in at 122 pages. The final column of Musings of a Madman . . . was entitled "and now we see what we came to see". There wasn't a dry eye in the house (though Ferdinand said it was the onions).

For some reason I let the guys talk me into writing another newsletter, but as I had stated to them earlier, I was never going to do Rumblings of Discord again. I was wrong but I didn't know it. By the Hearth was born as the official newsletter for this web site, and as a bonus I started up Musings of a Madman again. They were of much higher quality that the previous columns and again I hope to present all twelve of those here as well.

Unfortunately history repeats and I am left here with people complaining about my cutting tone and all the rest of it. So I re-evaluated my priorities and decided that By the Hearth was a waste of my time, but still consider Musings of a Madman a worthwhile venture. Thus I am revamping this section of the site, and will continue writing a monthly column if not bi-weekly.

So what is Musings of a Madman? It is my attempt to explore some of the ideas and themes behind roleplaying. To question why we roleplay and what we hope to get out of it. To think and reflect.

It is my muse . . . and I can cry if I want to.