keivan03's page

I would like to share that I'm somewhat disappointed with this situation. I started my kids on Pathfinder and cons when they were in grade school. Since we live nearby, we made it to multiple paizocons, a highlight for the year, and played some stellar games. It was tough coordinating four people to get in the same games, but we'd all be on our devices as soon as signup was allowed to pull it off.

2020 and the pandemic came and I didn't bother buying tickets. Cons were generally being canceled and those that weren't were almost certain to be superspreader events. However, if you had told me that I wouldn't be able to go to the next in person Con without buying tickets in 2020 (and, if something came up, I could get a refund even), I would have totally slapped my credit card down to get them.

My youngest (now in high school) hates VTT so only my oldest and I did the virtual Cons.

Currently, Paizo is requiring people to "opt out" of their "limited attendance" con. That means, if they do nothing, they have a ticket and Paizo keeps their ticket fees, which is pretty standard because it helps the company. For instance, Starbucks has a zillion dollars in unused gift cards. However, this strategy will not maximize attendance. The simple fact is that there is a significant number of people who won't or can't request a refund. Some don't check the message boards because they've lost interest and/or feel they gave Paizo a donation during the pandemic. Honestly, statistically, some people have passed away. How significant the number of people who aren't coming but hold a ticket is obviously uncertain.

To maximize attendance with the limitations, Paizo should have either required people to "opt in" (making the default a refund) or provide a decision of some sort - email or fill out a form with whether they want a refund or not.

It's not too late. You could ask the people with valid tickets to confirm their planned attendance.

I hate to criticize because, well, I love Paizo and I know huge...

100% This.