My nickname is “The Madman” and it’s well deserved.  For those who know me, or have trawled the archives of this blog, you know that I tend to take modeling and painting seriously.  I put a lot of effort into each mini, and I don’t do jobs that are “just good enough.”  I take every aspect of the game to the extreme.  I make every model as well as I can, even taking the time to pin minis that will probably break (Privateer Press, I’m looking at you!)  I paint every model to a quality that I can be proud of, no Black Primars or three-color tabletop standards for me.  I play every game as well as I can.  I write stories that get out the creative impulses trying to break out of my brain.  This is the Four Strands ethos: take every aspect as far as you can.

This explains why some may call me “mad.”  However, it’s not how I got my name.  During my senior year at Michigan State, we had been unceremoniously kicked out of our previous playing grounds in Mary Mayo residence hall.  Rant about that will come at another time and have HUGE CUSSES.  We re-located to the basement of Owen Graduate Hall.  One day, some reporters for the local campus rag of lies and failure, The State News, arrived to chronicle our gaming club.

During their visit, we staged a game, and tried to explain our hobby to these talentless hacks.  I told them the general format of the rules, and said that there were more, showing them the rulebook.  Several other comments were made by myself and others.

EDIT: Lexington reminded me that halfway through the interview the “writer” up and left without telling his photographer!  He was so confused when his colleague ditched him.  Perhaps he was the unpopular photographer.

The next day, we read the article in the paper.  Saying that things were blown out of proportion would be an understatement.  My quotes were taken out of context, and PUT IN ALL CAPS LIEK I WAS SHOUTING!!!!!111111ONE  In addition, several other comments (regarding the insanity of Games Workshop’s business model in 2004) were attributed to me, making me sound like a deranged raving lunatic.

From then on, I was called “The Madman” and took to the nickname with a perverse sense of glee.  “Hi!  I’m The Madman!  Would you like a cookie?” *disturbing grin*

ZOMG DOUBLE EDIT: The original article here, thanks to Scott: http://statenews.com/index.php/article/2004/09/group_peacefully_participates_in_combat