As a bystander, I just want to offer some outsider perspective:
Charles: Honestly, I have tried to read your articles, but they intimidate me. Sometimes, I get a little lost reading them, but I don't by any means consider them to be horrible or pointless. I put a lot of effort into things that my own wife finds useless, but that does not deteriorate the value that it has to me. I commend you for all of the effort that you have given into this.
As for your variants, I do notice that you have many of them, and that many more have variants that can be derived from other variants that you have created. 12 Sharp Chess is a great example of this. I, however, have found many of your variants interesting and have even implimented a few onto Game Courier myself. You provide many new perspectives into the game and I only wish I had the opportunity to try them all. This remains true for almost every variant I find here, though.
Fergus: I have never gotten the idea that his articles are the reflection of this site, and even if I did, I would not have held anything against it nor its editors. To me, I see this site as a tool to provide a reflection of many inventor's ideas. A way to express ourselves openly, if you will, in a world where the intellectual or not all the time the welcomed ones. My wife would rather I play sports than learn how to program, play chess and its variants, invent variants or other games, or create piece graphics. This place has served as my get-away from life and I appreciate you allowing me to experience this. Of course, I am no editor, but in the eyes of a 2 year veteran of the site (and one who didn't even discover the forum side of it until a year after he joined), I do not find any fault with Charle's ramblings.
Not sure if that will provide any help or insight, but I think the opinion of an outsider might help the situation. Thanks!
Best,
Nick