Don’t Split The Party
October 15, 2021 3:23 PM Subscribe
Paizo workers have unionized. In the wake of serious accusations made against senior management, workers at Paizo, known for their Pathfinder and Starfinder tabletop RPGs, have unionized, citing poor pay, crunch, and unsafe working conditions. This union is the first in an increasingly-popular industry. (Further coverage: ScreenRant | TechRaptor | Kotaku | Polygon)
Just going to post this here: https://supportpaizoworkers.carrd.co/#support
As a former Paizo employee, I'm fairly sure I'm still under NDA to not talk about other things that are shitty but not covered in Jessica's main thread. But it's at -minimum- as bad as is stated, and has been since at least 2016. #UnionizePaizo
posted by isauteikisa at 4:38 PM on October 15, 2021 [21 favorites]
As a former Paizo employee, I'm fairly sure I'm still under NDA to not talk about other things that are shitty but not covered in Jessica's main thread. But it's at -minimum- as bad as is stated, and has been since at least 2016. #UnionizePaizo
posted by isauteikisa at 4:38 PM on October 15, 2021 [21 favorites]
Just going to post this here: https://supportpaizoworkers.carrd.co/#support
I literally raised my kids on Pathfinder.
Email sent.
posted by Flight Hardware, do not touch at 4:47 PM on October 15, 2021 [1 favorite]
I literally raised my kids on Pathfinder.
Email sent.
posted by Flight Hardware, do not touch at 4:47 PM on October 15, 2021 [1 favorite]
Email sent! Thank you for sharing, sigma7 and isauteikisa.
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 5:56 PM on October 15, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 5:56 PM on October 15, 2021 [2 favorites]
I'm just now reading Jessica Price's Twitter thread, and holy shit. Pathfinder was my gateway drug for RPGs, and Starfinder was like a dream come true, but this sounds like the worst company.
posted by Halloween Jack at 8:31 PM on October 15, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by Halloween Jack at 8:31 PM on October 15, 2021 [3 favorites]
The crew and podcast who has literally gotten me through pandemic terribleness . . .
We just finished a two year long Pathfinder campaign. One of the players remarked we got through it because of the pandemic (as we started playing more), then someone else made the more clearly true point that they got through pandemic because of the game. So yeah.
Happily for avoiding cognitive dissonance, at this point I'm aware of the difference between creative types and the company that slaps a brand name on something. There's some unpleasant overlap but a lot of the designers, artists and writers--who produce the stuff I actually enjoy--look if anything better for having gotten so much good stuff through some bad actors. Perhaps unionizing makes Paizo a less crappy place.
small business gonna small business
Bulmahn's letter responding to some of the charges against himself individually is amazing, probably the one thing worth reading. There are people who lack self-awareness or are utterly mendacious and that can come through in these non-apologies. I don't know if I've ever seen it made so obvious that someone has lacked access to a professional HR department with even a modest familiarity with US employment law.
posted by mark k at 12:19 PM on October 16, 2021 [2 favorites]
We just finished a two year long Pathfinder campaign. One of the players remarked we got through it because of the pandemic (as we started playing more), then someone else made the more clearly true point that they got through pandemic because of the game. So yeah.
Happily for avoiding cognitive dissonance, at this point I'm aware of the difference between creative types and the company that slaps a brand name on something. There's some unpleasant overlap but a lot of the designers, artists and writers--who produce the stuff I actually enjoy--look if anything better for having gotten so much good stuff through some bad actors. Perhaps unionizing makes Paizo a less crappy place.
small business gonna small business
Bulmahn's letter responding to some of the charges against himself individually is amazing, probably the one thing worth reading. There are people who lack self-awareness or are utterly mendacious and that can come through in these non-apologies. I don't know if I've ever seen it made so obvious that someone has lacked access to a professional HR department with even a modest familiarity with US employment law.
posted by mark k at 12:19 PM on October 16, 2021 [2 favorites]
Good lord. Jessica Price's Twitter thread (the "serious accusations" link) is appalling. What an unbelievably toxic workplace. Good for the workers for saying "enough of this shit." Not a chance in hell the asses she describes won't fight the unionization tooth and nail.
Thanks for this post, sigma7.
posted by mediareport at 5:15 AM on October 17, 2021
Thanks for this post, sigma7.
posted by mediareport at 5:15 AM on October 17, 2021
they were first to the gate in there genre with excising things like racial evil
Please scroll down Jessica Price's Twitter thread for her discussion of how execs pushed back mightily on the creative team's objections about the awful race stuff that was consistently included over their repeated complaints, and how lucky they were to have a few editors who scrubbed most of the garbage execs insisted on keeping in.
posted by mediareport at 5:42 AM on October 17, 2021 [1 favorite]
Please scroll down Jessica Price's Twitter thread for her discussion of how execs pushed back mightily on the creative team's objections about the awful race stuff that was consistently included over their repeated complaints, and how lucky they were to have a few editors who scrubbed most of the garbage execs insisted on keeping in.
posted by mediareport at 5:42 AM on October 17, 2021 [1 favorite]
Massive congratulations to the Paizo workers! I wonder if there's a list of first-in-the-industry unions to add them to.
Also, this seems like the perfect thread to ask - anyone know of good RPGs on labor organizing? (just union organizing would be fine, but bonus points if it's scoped to include the broader category of labor organizing)
posted by johnabbe at 11:43 AM on October 18, 2021 [1 favorite]
Also, this seems like the perfect thread to ask - anyone know of good RPGs on labor organizing? (just union organizing would be fine, but bonus points if it's scoped to include the broader category of labor organizing)
posted by johnabbe at 11:43 AM on October 18, 2021 [1 favorite]
Well, if you'll accept a referral to a game I've never played based on podcast episodes I haven't listened to (yet), the Price of Coal: A Story Game of Labor Rights was just featured on the One Shot Network.
posted by mark k at 1:03 PM on October 18, 2021
posted by mark k at 1:03 PM on October 18, 2021
I’ve spent 17 years and counting at Paizo and I am pleased to say that the union has been recognized voluntarily. I am so happy and excited for everyone here.
You are not alone.
posted by bigbigdog at 5:27 PM on October 21, 2021 [4 favorites]
You are not alone.
posted by bigbigdog at 5:27 PM on October 21, 2021 [4 favorites]
Wow, that is shockingly good news, bigbigdog, and makes me believe that the assholes who've been at the top really have been at least somewhat pushed aside to make way for real change.
Unionizing works.
posted by mediareport at 5:47 AM on October 24, 2021
Unionizing works.
posted by mediareport at 5:47 AM on October 24, 2021
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Paizo did better than D&D, WotC, so many others with making a real attempt to rethink and decolonize the genre way earlier than the last few years of shaming. But, unsurprisingly, small business gonna small business. (Not saying they totally succeeded, but they were first to the gate in there genre with excising things like racial evil, bringing a spectrum of gender representation, etc).
posted by abulafa at 4:01 PM on October 15, 2021 [5 favorites]