Farewell Amanda!

Amanda Hamon joined the Paizo fam back at the start of April in 2015 and now she’s heading off to new adventures where she will be joining the Kobold Press fam as Editorial Director. (The Kobold empire is hers!—I can’t confirm that, but it’s likely.)

This blog has been hard for me to write. Amanda has been my partner in crime here at Paizo since she joined us, and for more than three years we’ve been managing the development of Pathfinder and Starfinder together. We’ve been collaborators and conspirators. We’ve been friends and confidants. We’ve been there for each other and we’ve worked long nights and some weekends to make sure that y’all get quality gaming material. We’ve made sure that our teams and our freelancers were taken care of and had what they needed to get the job done. We made a pact to let each other know if we had plans on leaving the company, so I was among the first to hear of this. I’m really sad to see her move on, and not having her here with me to talk over the kind of decisions we make is going to be hard. But, I know I will carry on the things she’s taught me to make the best calls I can. Thank you, Amanda.

As co-managers, we worked so well together. There have been so few work relationships I’ve had in my life that have been as flawless. I can’t think of a single time in our years that we ever disagreed with how we should handle something. We were always side-by-side on the decisions we made, and I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better partner and colleague.

We’ve also had a lot of fun. We made rad games. Together we drove our company to better standards. Together we worked hard with other folks on the staff to make our conventions and those who attend them safer. Together we helped make positive and engaging (and creepy) content in the books we oversaw. Together we worked our asses off setting up for conventions (and we celebrated our victories for doing so—as we should!).

Amanda was a freelancer for us when I first joined the Paizo staff, and some of her early work for us was among the first I worked on as a staff developer. I was super impressed and continued to reach out to her for freelance work and encouraged other developers on staff to do so. She came from a journalism background, and that professionalism totally showed. Journalists know how to hit a deadline and deal with editorial standards.

Amanda, I wish you all the best in your new role of making awesome game material for folks! Wolfgang has certainly scooped up great talent and I know that you’re going to be an absolute asset to that company. I’ll miss working with you on the day-to-day, but I know that we’ll still hang out (and still talk shop!). Much love to you. I’ll miss you, and keep kicking all the ass you’ve always kicked!

Now I’ll share this space to let others in the company to give their thoughts.

Adam Daigle
Managing Developer

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James Jacobs:
Amanda! Your influence on Paizo is indisputable—you made the company better, and even though you're off to be a kobold now, I know that we'll continue to benefit from your influence and presence and imagination. Thank you for all of the hours/days/weeks spent in conversations about vampires and ghosties and sinister monsters and all the things that go bump in the night. Thank you for all the amazing adventures, particularly in helping to launch the first Adventure Path for 2nd edition Pathfinder. And thank you especially for the ghost pirates and the acid spewing crater aliens and the forever-quest of Groetus-vision-fueled pursuits of doubtful wine and questionable repasts. Most of those shenanigans will, of course, continue onward into the future, but when we finally get back to the office after all these months of working from home, with you not there to kick in my office door with conversations about creepy mushroom gifs or dancing clowns or brain-collecting vampires or which incarnations of Dracula are best (and which ones should be avoided forever)… the building will still feel emptier than before.

Devinne Caples:
I only really got to know Amanda on her way out. I have to say she is vibrant, intelligent, and down to Earth. A true joy to be around. Though our time working together was short, I wish Amanda the absolute best in her new position and in the adventures to come! Congratulations!

Jason Keeley:
Amanda and I moved across the country and started at Paizo at about the same time, and though we were in different departments (I was an editor then), we were in the same boat. She was, of course, super friendly and a pleasure to work with, but I didn’t get to know the real Amanda until we started gaming together. From board games to video games to RPGs, we’ve had hundreds of hours of fun in a style that I can describe only as “controlled chaos.” I’m going to miss her at the office terribly, but this feeling is tempered by the fact that I’m certain we’ll be gaming together again real soon (For the Crimson Eel!). If you ever get the chance to work with Amanda on a project, you should take it, and if you ever get the chance to play with her, consider yourself truly lucky because you’re in for a wacky, fun time! Cheers, Amanda!

James Sutter:
Amanda is one of the best game industry folks I've had the privilege to work with. Among many other projects, she was crucial in the development of the Starfinder Core Rulebook, especially when it came to figuring out ways to make the game fun and welcoming to the widest possible audience. She's someone you can always depend on—when everything's on fire and the wheels seem about to come off the bus, you know Amanda will be there to help you drag things across the finish line, and keep you laughing the whole time. I'm delighted that she's taking on such a huge role with Kobold, and I can't wait to see what she does with it!

John Compton:
Amanda, in your 5 years at Paizo you’ve always brought energy, ideas, leadership, compassion, perspective, and excitement to your work. From re-imagining devils to treading new ground for kobolds under that Hellknight Hill to working together to devise the future of mechs in Starfinder, you’ve always brought fresh inspiration and a readiness to question tired traditions.

Most of all, though, you’ve reminded us of what lies at the heart of the gaming experience: fun. Plumbing the depths of Elemental Evil wouldn’t have been the same without your reckless, sword-swinging, squirrel-toting antics. The ongoing story of rebuilding Crookcove isn’t complete without your character’s distinguished approach to Groetus. And of course, who can forget your bare-knuckle homages to the past decades’ wrestling greats in the wild antics of XTREM?

…you have a lot of antics. Never change.

For every grimdark conundrum and deep space disaster science-fantasy can deliver, your approach reminds us that in a setting so replete with weird worlds and utterly bizarre aliens, the genre is just as effective a conduit for levity. Your future projects gives the gaming community so much more to look forward to!

Judy Bauer:
Amanda, I’ve missed seeing you in person for months, and I’m going to miss your professional yet metal presence even more once you’re at Kobold Press. You’re gonna knock their socks off!

John Feil:
A haiku…
Amanda Hamon
Her name has five syllables
and we will miss her

Payton Smith:
Amanda was always professional, attentive, and hilarious in the right moments. In all my years on working with developers and game industry professionals, Amanda Hamon will always be the shining example I will point to when talking to curious individuals seeking to enter this industry

For my single year at being here in Paizo, I’ve’d learned a lot from Amanda. And I wish her well in all of the things she will most certainly excel at in the future.

Linda Zayas-Palmer:
Amanda and I started at Paizo right around the same time, as Assistant Developers. She quickly established herself as the person who could do anything, the multitalented rock star who was always getting pushed on to whatever project was in the direst situation. And it wasn't long before people learned to rely upon her. I know I'm not the only person she's inspired with her determination, wisdom, empathy, and humor. Amanda's departure is a big loss for all of us at Paizo, but I know that she's going to do great at her new position. Keep being awesome, Amanda!

Aaron Shanks:
When I first came to Paizo I learned Amanda used to be a reporter, which might help explain why she was so articulate on camera. As a new PR Manager it was nice for me to talk things out with her. That poise was always present off camera. I'll miss having her on the team.

Lyz Liddell:
Amanda is the reason I moved to the Pacific Northwest to take on a full-time gig working for Paizo. I’d been lurking in the remote lands of Ohio as a full-time contractor for years, but when my contract was forced to end (thanks Microsoft?), it was Amanda who reached out to try and recruit me. She took the time out of her day to get me on a video call (way less common in pre-quarantine days) and talk me through the process of moving from the Midwest to the PNW and making a living making games—the good, the bad, the weird, the delightful. I ended up not taking Amanda’s offer (Judy Bauer stole me instead!) but I really think I wouldn’t have been brave enough to move out here if it weren’t for Amanda. Working with her has been a delight, and I can’t wait to see what wacky schemes she comes up with next.

Jason Bulmahn:
It is rare and special thing to work with someone who has such boundless optimism, infectious laugh, and tireless dedication to the craft. Amanda has all three in excess. She is an incredible creative force, and everything she touches turns out so much better thanks to her imagination and passion for games. I am sad to see her go, but and I am incredibly excited to see what she comes up with in her new endeavors.

Tonya Woldridge:
I enjoyed the time we spent working on convention circuit–long hours filled with laughs and voices and I thank you for the memories. UK trips just won’t be the same without you. I look forward to seeing what you do in future, as your creativity, drive, and passion for writing expand our industry. Best wishes on your future endeavors!

Diego Valdez:
Amanda’s and my jobs don’t really intersect, so we don’t see each other much in the office. Despite that we have become pretty good friends. Amanda has helped me build friendships with many wonderful people who are now mutual friends. I will always appreciate that. At an old job that closed up shop I was really sad because my coworkers were awesome. One of them reminded me that, “Even if you don't work with them anymore, you can still be friends with your coworkers.” Since then I have always tried to remember that when someone leaves. The office won’t be the same without her there, but that doesn’t mean we have to stop going to watch wrestling. Amanda, you’re a wonderful, awesome, SOLID STEEL friend! All my best wishes in your new adventure!

Erik Mona:
Amanda Hamon made a huge impact on Paizo from the moment she arrived to the moment she left us for an awesome editorial opportunity at another company last Friday. Her keen development skills, strong management of Starfinder’s developers, and her moral compass have been great assets to the editorial department as well as to Paizo as a whole, and we will miss her terribly. Amanda brought the same level of enthusiasm to her job as a leader and manager at Paizo as she did throwing herself into the role of a jittery space goblin at a convention demo. I’ll never forget the way her stunning, professional-grade goblin impression echoed through the halls of PaizoCon, bringing a smile to anyone who ever heard of it. Amanda’s also been a road warrior during her time here, helping with Gen Con booth set-up and tear-down, representing our games at industry conferences, and demoing across the land, from Seattle to Indianapolis to Philadelphia to the UK. Recently, we all got a chance to sit at her table thanks to the astounding Starfinder XTREM streaming game on our official Twitch channel. Had someone else pitched a game based on professional wrestling in the Starfinder universe, I might have balked. Not so with Amanda. I knew she would do a fantastic job, just as she has for every other task we’ve put before her since coming here (and, as a freelance writer, since even before that). Congratulations, Amanda! We all look forward to seeing what you create next. You made a tremendous impact upon Paizo’s culture, upon all your colleagues, and upon Paizo itself. See you on the road!