Today, we’d like to talk a little bit about accountability. Specifically, #PaizoAccountability.
If you’re any friend of the Facts, you’ve seen us signal boosting a number of voices that are asking for Paizo Accountability. Perhaps you’re not really sure what these calls are actually asking for.
Paizo is, at the end of the day, a company. Companies are, at the end of the day, comprised of people. The game that you love, the community that drew you here to this blog post right here, is the product of a large and growing number of lovely and passionate people who have banded together in order to entertain us. And are we not entertained?
However, there are elements of the community that remain troubled and troubling. Despite the espoused beliefs of the company and the hard work at representation undertaken by the freelancers, writers, developers, editors, and designers a number of the allegations within the past month have centered around upper management’s conservative tendencies to react negatively to such efforts, going back years and still recurring in recent events. Other allegations of unprofessional workplace behavior have been confirmed by the accused and remain unaddressed by the company on a professional level. And huge questions still remain about the firing of a beloved community manager the week before one of the company’s biggest events of the con season, a move that arguably sparked the anger going on now and would result in disciplinary action in any company that took professionalism seriously.
Of course we don’t want Paizo as a publisher to suffer. We have found our heroics on Golarian, in the Pact Worlds, and on further planets and planes. We’ve explored the heights of the Crown Of The World and the depths of Apostae, crashed airships on Akiton and flown off the starmaps into the Vast. We love these places, and the people that create these worlds and populate them with the people, places, and things that inspire and engage us.
We can’t watch idly as voices for diversity and equality leave one by one, forced to leave due to their treatment. We can’t sit by as the creators whose creations we adore labor under near-poverty conditions.
What we can do is make a dumb shitpost and offer it to you, Loyal Factoid Fans, in exchange for your help.
Friend Of The Facts Joan (find her on Twitter at @joannenotjown) has been raising funds for some of those put in vulnerable positions by the economic effects of the #PaizoAccountability movement - this tweet gives the details of this fundraiser started at the beginning of the Paizo Accountability movement. So here’s our deal:
1.) You donate to Joan, so it can be given to some of the people who need it the most in this moment in the gaming community. Any amount will do! We know not everyone can give!
2.) You send us proof of your donation (screenshots work great! You can e-mail them to StarfinderFacts SPLAT gmail.com or DM us on Twitter!). All receipts should be received before October 8th.
2.) October 9th, I send you a new Starfinder Facts creation: Our rendition of a certain iconic mechanical cleaner featured in a Mel Brooks film, created using the new Tech Revolution mech rules, for whatever sick twisted pleasure you derive from such a thing.
Rather like a Golden League Xun mailing a toe to prove the seriousness of their intentions, here’s a snippet for you to ponder.
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Vacu-Suck (2 PP) This massive signature vacuum cleaner is capable of removing entire planetary atmospheres through it’s absurdly powerful suction. For every 10 rounds that the Vacu-Suck is run, reduce the level of atmosphere by one step (from Thick to Normal to Thin to No Atmosphere; use GM discretion to determine the starting density of Corrosive or Toxic atmospheres). At GM discretion, the Vacu-Suck is capable of sucking up trees, structures, and other large objects. The Vacu-Suck can be switched from “Suck” to “Blow” by means of the toggle on the side of the Vacu-Suck.
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This community has awed and inspired us many times over the past few years, and I hope to see it do its work yet again to help the people who make our games make it through a difficult time.
Let’s do something amazing today.
