Sean K Reynolds on working at Paizo (and other companies)

[Morrus]

Isnt a huge part of the problem that there are literally hundreds of rpg 'writers' lined up to take Sean's job for less money?
[All other perceived management issues aside]

Yup. Plus some people who won't pay prices for products which fairly pay the creators, and normalization of low prices for RPG material.

 

[BookTenTiger]

Isnt a huge part of the problem that there are literally hundreds of rpg 'writers' lined up to take Sean's job for less money?
[All other perceived management issues aside]

Then the solution is to get even MORE people to play RPGs and increase the demand for writers!

 

[UngainlyTitan]

Erik Mona is getting a lot of flack here, not saying he does not deserve some it but it seems to me to be a case where the issues start at the very top.

 

[Waller]

Erik Mona is getting a lot of flack here, not saying he does not deserve some it but it seems to me to be a case where the issues start at the very top.

I'd always had the impression Lisa Stevens was a great boss, but that dalek voice thing seems like a parody of evil bosses.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

I'd always had the impression Lisa Stevens was a great boss, but that dalek voice thing seems like a parody of evil bosses.

I had no prior opinion on her in any fashion but as you say the Dalek voice thing is parody levels, as is giving flack to the designers for the rules allowing broken power build but preventing anything to be done about it. Though I thought that allowing broken power builds was a core feature of 3.x/Pathfinder

 

[Umbran]

They don't even need that. Just something basic, like leadership fundamentals, or strengthfinders, or any two hour long seminar on effective leadership fundamentals. Kaizen or 6 Sigma, or similar is way down the road for these folks. They need the basics first.

Well, those fundamentals don't do much if they don't have motivation to follow them, which we have established that they probably don't. Some primers are called for to give them an understanding of why they need to change. That's why I mention using the story of the Toyota Way - a concrete example of building one of the most robust companies on the planet. Embedded in that is the concept of continuous improvement. I wouldn't start with methods before getting buy-in on the basic idea that there's a long road of constant changes ahead to reach success.

 

[Parmandur]

Isnt a huge part of the problem that there are literally hundreds of rpg 'writers' lined up to take Sean's job for less money?
[All other perceived management issues aside]

Not really: if something is not a problem at TSR, WotC, or Monte Cook Games, that suggests problems unique to one company are not due to general market factors.

 

[Parmandur]

I'd always had the impression Lisa Stevens was a great boss, but that dalek voice thing seems like a parody of evil bosses.

I never seen any indication thst Paizo is a good place to work: the stories from former employees are pretty universally damning of the environment, which starts at the top for sure.

 

[Dire Bare]

SKR has posted on his blog about his experiences while working at Paizo and other companies. There is another thread about the Wired article mentioned, but this is more detailed about the specifics of his experiences. An interesting, if sad, reading, IMHO.

Sad indeed. Sours me on Paizo, a company I've really liked in the past.

They certainly put out good products, but at what human cost? Hopefully the new union can help improve the company's work culture, but the rot seems to be pervasive at the top.

I'm especially disappointed in Erik Mona. He, like SKR, started in the trenches with WotC and worked his way up. His editorials always made him seem a very personable and nice guy. And I suppose, if you don't work under him, maybe he is.

 

[Dire Bare]

Isnt a huge part of the problem that there are literally hundreds of rpg 'writers' lined up to take Sean's job for less money?
[All other perceived management issues aside]

I think that's perception more than reality.

Are there thousands of gamers who would love to work for a gaming company like Paizo? Sure. But are there hundreds of QUALITY writers just waiting for their chance, willing to work for pennies? Eh, I'm not so sure.

That's the common wisdom, however. And perception sometimes makes reality, or folks base their actions and decisions on perception.