My Manifesto

There was a bit on Saturday Night Live that featured a parody of the Dating Game in which a desperate Ted Kaczynski tried to convince the various bachelorettes to read his manifesto. I'm taking a break from all my posts about my personal RPG history to talk about something equally narcissistic: my purpose for creating and updating this blog. Unlike our friend the Unibomber, I'm not particularly concerned with anyone reading this section. It's here mainly for me, so that I can return to it if I need it a reminder of why I started this and why it should continue. So, if you don't care a whit about why I'm here or what my motives are, move along.

In following various RPG-themed blogs over the past, I've seen a few of them close up shop. Usually, the author makes some grand declaration that they've been soured by the online gaming community and they're taking themselves out of the limelight for good. I don't know the situations that led to these particular decisions and I'm not here to pass judgment on anyone. I'm also not so foolish as to think that, by putting my gaming thoughts and RPG creations in a public forum, I'm not going down a similar path. I might remain in complete obscurity, sending my thoughts out to be heard by no one save myself and a few friends. On the other hand, if people do decide to pay attention to what I'm writing, I'm likely to face some kind of negativity and/or criticism.

Here's the important thing that I must keep in mind, if I'm to maintain perspective on all this. This blog is not for anyone else but me. It's open to the public because I'm trying to do something more than journal just for the sake of it. I want to air my thoughts in a public venue. If someone finds value in it, that will be a bonus side effect. If not, it's enough for me that I find it valuable. This blog, like all blogs really, is a vanity project. I welcome feedback, but I don't require it or even expect it. In the end, I'm writing for my own sanity during a period of separation from family and friends. Anything that distracts me from that goal will be ignored.

Retreat forward!


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