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

[CapnZapp]

The take away is to not work for Paizo or Erik Mona.

Well, my takeaway is that there's no money in table-top role-playing games.

I'm not saying you should not write wonderful fantasy material, I'm just saying, don't do it for the money

 

[CapnZapp]

I agree with you but I was making the point that even if Paizo could dump their staff relocate and start afresh with new people it would not help them in the current environment. Their would be a huge fan backlash, at least one big enough to put ha large hole in their sales and to tank any goodwill the company has in the community.

I don't think it's their staff or their location that's the problem. I think it's their product that is their problem.

 

[CapnZapp]

Mr. Mona seems to have gone to a very poor school of management, at least.

Yes, he is probably a reasonably nice person, just that he has chosen to be an executive at a company with unrealistic expectations on their staff. (The part where he's an executive certainly means he's accountable, just that there's no need to hurl personal insults at him, i.e. the "jerk" comment).

 

[CapnZapp]

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

Wow

 

[CapnZapp]

There it is.

The real value of labor is in it's scarcity. When a company knows there are a dozen equally-qualified people dreaming of having every position they field, it has zero motivation to spend more on its labor force.

Everything else is a secondary factor at best.

This.

There sure are a lot of prospective rpg writers with plans containing unfortunately low levels of realism.

However, I wouldn't say our discussion chiefly revolves around the pay issue. After all, if pay is low you will know this before you even start at a company, so you know what you're getting. The problematic issues are things you aren't made aware of until well after it is too late.

That is, I think Paizo should be able to pay you as much or as little as they want, as long as they're upfront about it, and treats you with respect while you're on their roster.

 

[CapnZapp]

women are “too frail” to join the company softball team

???

 

[Umbran]

Yes, he is probably a reasonably nice person, just that he has chosen to be an executive at a company with unrealistic expectations on their staff. (The part where he's an executive certainly means he's accountable, just that there's no need to hurl personal insults at him, i.e. the "jerk" comment).

With respect, being an executive does not mean one will end up accountable for much of anything.

Indeed, with the "just that he has chosen..." line, you seem to be placing the blame for expectations on "the company". But, as an executive, he was responsible for those expectations! He should, in fact, be held accountable for those expectations, as should the rest of the executive staff.

 

[Jd Smith1]

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

It all depends on context and relationships. All we have is one disgruntled employee's version of events.

I worked for a particular supervisor for over twenty years. Every time he saw me at work, he would tell me I was fired. I saw him early this month (we're both retired) and he fired me again. A lot of people did not like him (and a lot did); myself, I thought the world of him, although I would never tell him that.

 

[Umbran]

It all depends on context and relationships. All we have is one disgruntled employee's version of events.

Well, we have a bit more than that. Other employees have spoken about the conditions, and the overall situation was enough for the employees to unionize. That's not an effort you take over one disgruntled employee.

 

[CapnZapp]

With respect, being an executive does not mean one will end up accountable for much of anything.

Indeed, with the "just that he has chosen..." line, you seem to be placing the blame for expectations on "the company". But, as an executive, he was responsible for those expectations! He should, in fact, be held accountable for those expectations, as should the rest of the executive staff.

I thought I was clear I did not imply he should get off the hook.

Edit: Apparently I wasn't... so: I fully agree he should be held accountable!