How Will The New Tariffs Affect TTRPG Prices?

New US tariffs have hit the world, and the tabletop gaming industry is bracing for impact. Every company (including us) will be doing a thorough analysis of how the recent US tariffs will affect their business, and then plan accordingly.

Of the raft of global tariffs on US imports declared yesterday, two in particular affect the tabletop gaming industry--the tariffs on the EU and on China.

The new tariff on goods manufactured in the EU is 20%, while those which originate in China are 34%. This is in addition to a recent 20% tariff on China, raising that level to 54%.

The tariff applies to the place of origin of a product, not the country where the company is registered. Many game companies in Europe, the UK, and Scandinavia print books in the EU; and more complex products which require boxes or other components, including those from game companies in the US, often come from China. The tariff on UK-produced products is 10%, but most UK-based companies print in the EU and China.

There is something called the 'de minimis threshold', and generally shipments below that value do not incur tariffs. In the US that is currently $800, and it mainly affects individual orders bought from overseas. However, that no longer applies to goods made in China. It also won't help with shipments of inventory (such as a print run) shipped to a US warehouse from the EU. When somebody in the US orders a book from, say, a UK game company, that order will often be fulfilled from inventory stored in a US warehouse rather than shipped directly from the UK. That US inventory will have incurred the tariff when it was shipped as part of a larger shipment.

A shipment of our books from our printer in the EU​

Of course, these aren't the only way that tariffs can affect prices. Even products manufactured in the US might use materials or components from China, Canada, or the EU, and that will affect the production cost of those products. For example, a US printer which uses paper sources in Canada is going to have increased costs. DriveThruRPG's print-on-demand costs have already increased by as much as 50% in the US.

How might game companies go about handling these increased costs?

• Eat the tariff themselves. That might be possible in some instances, but the size of them will likely make that non-feasible. Most game products do not have a 54% profit margin.​
• Manufacture in the US. That solution might be feasible but runs into a couple of barriers. (1) US printing costs tend to be higher; (2) goods would then have to be exported to the EU, Canada, and other countries, which may have reciprocal tariffs in place; (3) US printing capacity isn't up to the task (remember printers don't just print games--we're talking books); (4) US non-book game component manufacture capacity is even more difficult; (5) splitting a print run between a US and EU or Chinese printer greatly reduces the per-unit manufacture cost as the volume at each location will be halved; (6) as the recent DTRPG printing cost increase shows, even US printers use raw materials from elsewhere.​
• Pass the cost along to customers. This, unfortunately, is probably going to be the most feasible result. This means that the price of games will be going up.​

It gets really difficult when the production/shipping process straddles the tariff. We at EN Publishing have four Kickstarters fulfilling (Voidrunner's Codex, Gate Pass Gazette Annual 2024, Monstrous Menagerie II, and Split the Hoard) which have been paid for, including shipping, by the customer already. Two of those (Voidrunner and Split the Hoard) involve boxes and components, which meant they were manufactured in China. The other two are printed in the EU (Lithuania, specifically). All four inventory shipments will arrive in the US after the tariffs come in. We haven't yet worked out exactly what that means, but it won't be pleasant.

I suspect in the future, in these days of sudden tariffs, companies will hold back on charging for shipping right up until the last minute. And that's also bad news for customers, as they won't know the shipping price of a game until it's about to ship. This might also mean a shift towards digital sales which--currently--are not affected.

Most game companies are likely crunching numbers and planning right now. It is not known how long the tariffs will be in effect for, or what retaliatory tariffs countries will put in place against US goods. But this is a global issue which is going to drastically affect the tabletop gaming industry (along with most every other industry, but this is a TTRPG news site!)

Steve Jackson Games posted about the tariffs (the site seems to be experiencing high traffic at the time of writing)--

Some people ask, "Why not manufacture in the U.S.?" I wish we could. But the infrastructure to support full-scale boardgame production – specialty dice making, die-cutting, custom plastic and wood components – doesn't meaningfully exist here yet. I've gotten quotes. I've talked to factories. Even when the willingness is there, the equipment, labor, and timelines simply aren't.

We aren't the only company facing this challenge. The entire board game industry is having very difficult conversations right now. For some, this might mean simplifying products or delaying launches. For others, it might mean walking away from titles that are no longer economically viable. And, for what I fear will be too many, it means closing down entirely.

Note: please keep discussion to the effect of tariffs on the game industry. This forum isn't the place to discuss international politics.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

View attachment 401372​

New US tariffs have hit the world, and the tabletop gaming industry is bracing for impact. Every company (including us) will be doing a thorough analysis of how the recent US tariffs will affect their business, and then plan accordingly.

Of the raft of global tariffs on US imports declared yesterday, two in particular affect the tabletop gaming industry--the tariffs on the EU and on China.

The new tariff on goods manufactured in the EU is 20%, while those which originate in China are 34%. This is in addition to a recent 20% tariff on China, raising that level to 54%.

The tariff applies to the place of origin of a product, not the country where the company is registered. Many game companies in Europe, the UK, and Scandinavia print books in the EU; and more complex products which require boxes or other components, including those from game companies in the US, often come from China. The tariff on UK-produced products is 10%, but most UK-based companies print in the EU and China.

There is something called the 'de minimis threshold', and generally shipments below that value do not incur tariffs. In the US that is currently $800, and it mainly affects individual orders bought from overseas. However, as of yesterday, that no longer applies to goods made in China. It also won't help with shipments of inventory (such as a print run) shipped to a US warehouse from the EU. When somebody in the US orders a book from, say, a UK game company, that order will often be fulfilled from inventory stored in a US warehouse rather than shipped directly from the UK. That US inventory will have incurred the tariff when it was shipped as part of a larger shipment.

View attachment 401373
A shipment of our books from our printer in the EU​

Of course, these aren't the only way that tariffs can affect prices. Even products manufactured in the US might use materials or components from China, Canada, or the EU, and that will affect the production cost of those products. For example, a US printer which uses paper sources in Canada is going to have increased costs. DriveThruRPG's print-on-demand costs have already increased by as much as 50% in the US.

How might game companies go about handling these increased costs?

• Eat the tariff themselves. That might be possible in some instances, but the size of them will likely make that non-feasible. Most game products do not have a 54% profit margin.​
• Manufacture in the US. That solution might be feasible but runs into a couple of barriers. (1) US printing costs tend to be higher; (2) goods would then have to be exported to the EU, Canada, and other countries, which may have reciprocal tariffs in place; (3) US printing capacity isn't up to the task (remember printers don't just print games--we're talking books); (4) US non-book game component manufacture capacity is even more difficult; (5) splitting a print run between a US and EU or Chinese printer greatly reduces the per-unit manufacture cost as the volume at each location will be halved; (6) as the recent DTRPG printing cost increase shows, even US printers use raw materials from elsewhere.​
• Pass the cost along to customers. This, unfortunately, is probably going to be the most feasible result. This means that the price of games will be going up.​

It gets really difficult when the production/shipping process straddles the tariff. We at EN Publishing have four Kickstarters fulfilling (Voidrunner's Codex, Gate Pass Gazette Annual 2024, Monstrous Menagerie II, and Split the Hoard) which have been paid for, including shipping, by the customer already. Two of those (Voidrunner and Split the Hoard) involve boxes and components, which meant they were manufactured in China. The other two are printed in the EU (Lithuania, specifically). All four inventory shipments will arrive in the US after the tariffs come in. We haven't yet worked out exactly what that means, but it won't be pleasant.

I suspect in the future, in these days of sudden tariffs, companies will hold back on charging for shipping right up until the last minute. And that's also bad news for customers, as they won't know the shipping price of a game until it's about to ship. This might also mean a shift towards digital sales which--currently--are not affected.

Most game companies are likely crunching numbers and planning right now. It is not known how long the tariffs will be in effect for, or what retaliatory tariffs countries will put in place against US goods. But this is a global issue which is going to drastically affect the tabletop gaming industry (along with most every other industry, but this is a TTRPG news site!)

Steve Jackson Games posted about the tariffs (the site seems to be experiencing high traffic at the time of writing)--

Some people ask, "Why not manufacture in the U.S.?" I wish we could. But the infrastructure to support full-scale boardgame production – specialty dice making, die-cutting, custom plastic and wood components – doesn't meaningfully exist here yet. I've gotten quotes. I've talked to factories. Even when the willingness is there, the equipment, labor, and timelines simply aren't.

We aren't the only company facing this challenge. The entire board game industry is having very difficult conversations right now. For some, this might mean simplifying products or delaying launches. For others, it might mean walking away from titles that are no longer economically viable. And, for what I fear will be too many, it means closing down entirely.

Note: please keep discussion to the effect of tariffs on the game industry. This forum isn't the place to discuss international politics.

As of today, I'm no longer buying US RPG products, physical or digital. Canada Strong! Maitre Chez Nous!

Actually Canada & Mexico were specifically excluded from the new wave of tariffs and this has a few important effects.

First off the current tariffs against Canada & Mexico have as many holes as Swiss Cheese, USMC compliant products are mostly except still as far as I know.

The fact that we are exempt from the new wave means Canada choose not increase our tariffs from the current $60 billion to $120 billion of goods. This effects TTRPG companies because the increase would have included books.

The much bigger issue facing TTRPG in the US is the Canada boycott of US products where possible. This boycott is likely as more or more to do with why the new wave of tariffs were not leveled at us or Mexico then our counter tariffs. The reasons for the rage of Canadians & the boycott it triggered go fat beyond the tariffs or the purview of this thread, but they should be extremely obvious to all. The boycott is ravaging the US economy & US TTRPG companies won't be completely exempt from that, especially WotC.

But in current circumstances the US seems reluctant to push us much further, the first wise choice they made in regards to Canada, and that creates an opportunity for US & Global TTRPG publishers to get around tariffs, by publishing in Canada instead.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

I respect that decision, but I will point out, that (assuming you have ever bought from a local store) that your FLGS had to order product MONTHS AGO and can't reduce their order for the loss of your business. That's not a huge big deal if you are alone in your boycott, but if you are one of many (like, say, how most of Canada is with groceries and liquor) then the first business you will harm is your local shop, owned by fellow Canadians.

The owners are Canadian too, so I suspect they will understand. I suspect they will find ways to adapt.

Personally I'm boycotting all WotC products except Forgotten Realms which is as far as I'm concerned a Canadian setting we let Americans contribute too!

 

[mamba]

This is kinda sounding like what I (in Australia) was afraid of. Obviously it’s early stages yet and there’s a lot of confusion, but it sounds like prices are going up across the board, even for material that’s printed outside America and purchased by customers outside America.

that might have been a US centric perspective though, the print cost goes up by 54% if you print in China and send to the US, it does not change if you send it anywhere else, as those 54% are the US tariff

 

[humble minion]

that might have been a US centric perspective though, the print cost goes up by 54% if you print in China and send to the US, it does not change if you send it anywhere else, as those 54% are the US tariff

I know that’s the theory, we’ll see what the practice looks like. Lots of companies ship from China to US, then distribute elsewhere in the world from the US. Overseas buyers will certainly be hit in those cases.

Similarly, I suspect that many publishers will be worried about completely cratering US sales by making US buyers eat all the tariff charges as part of shipping. The US is a huge chunk of the global game market, you can’t afford to price them out. I could easily see a scenario where instead publishers will try to recoup some of that by raising product prices across the board for all countries, and not passing on the full price impact of tariffs to US consumers. So everyone will pay more, but US customers will see less of a hike than they would if the entire tariff cost was passed on to them.

 

[Mizaroth]

Wondering about the customers not in the US, such as myself in Canada.. no tariffs between EU and Canada, but will we still see a price hike?

 

[PurpleHazy]

Man... this stinks. I'm going to fire off a few thoughts here, most of this is probably self-evident to those here. Regardless, stream of consciousness engaged...

In general:
1) Do what we can to support the industry, if your budget can absorb a few extra dollars, keep buying where you can, the FLGS and websites will appreciate it. Empathy and a bit of grace goes a long way when the FLGS raises the prices. Continue to frequent those places that bring you TTRPG joy...
2) Do what we can personally to help my fellow gamers and friends, because folks are going to have tough times beyond not being able to buy new games.
3) Not succumb to pirating or use beyond 'fair use' doctrine (perhaps I'm a bit Polly-anna on this). Let not add insult to injury.
4) Keep supporting the local, regional, national events for TTRPG and Boardgames. They are going to take a hit as well. Think of all the companies that are going to shrink/eliminate their con budgets as they attempt to weather the storm.

Thoughts on what can be done outside of new purchases:
1) In the meantime, now may a good time to reacquaint yourself with some of your older, haven't read, haven't used TTRPG items on the bottom shelf or in the back of the closet.
2) The secondary market may benefit to a degree; used copies may become more the coin of the realm rather than the newest bling.
3) Trade; I swapped AD&D books back in the day (incoming flex: this is how I got my Deities & Demigods w/ Cthulhu mythos). Time to start swapping again.
4) Talk it up with all your TTRPG friends. Some of us are loud-mouths and have no problem sharing opinions, but help those who don't always speak up; this may really impact some folks as TTRPG can change/save lives.

Finally, I wish everyone in the TTRPG universe smooth sailing and fair weather as soon as possible.

end stream of consciousness....

edit: typos

 

[Wofano Wotanto]

We might see a shift towards selling STLs rather than finished minis in the miniature sector, at least. Some producers (Trench Crusade for example, even Steamforged with the old Iron Kingdoms line) are moving in that direction already (though GW are by far the big dog in the yard and they certainly won’t)

That's been happening for years now as printing technology and digital sculpting tools become better and better, but I expect this will accelerate things even further. I suspect some (many?) companies will offer both STLs and pre-printed ones for those who don't want to print their own, with the latter restricted to in-country (or otherwise tariff-free) sales only. Home printers aren't quite widespread enough yet to make sticking to STL sales only all that attractive when you could be getting a piece of physical model sales as well. Obvious approach would be to sell "basic" STLs with fancier alt sculpts only available as pre-prints.

Of all the parts of the gaming hobby, STL miniatures may be best off here, with pdf sales close behind.

 

[Von Ether]

Yeah. For me, once I back a Kickstarter I want to be done. If the proposition is that I'm merely purchasing the ability to purchase it later, I'll usually nope out. It's why we do shipping cost upfront and we handle the subsequent DTRPG fulfillment ourselves on our Kickstarters. But I recognise that I'm an outlier in feeling that way.

This is why I bit the bullet and had regular fulfillment for the original KS. I thought if I added any extra level of effort it would turn off too many people.

 

[Von Ether]

I've heard this. But I don't know to what level they print their own stuff.

According to them, it's a big chunk of their own softbound titles.

Made in USA – Troll Lord Games

trolllord.com

Speaking of, I suddenly feel like I might walk into a game store in the near future and feel like I stepped back in time with softbound covers coming back. As an industry, we've been doing hardbacks and book ribbons for a while because they are affordable add-ons that customers like. Now that we are counting pennies more than ever, it's probably time to turn back the clock on production values.

 

[Mercurius]

Just found this on the Shadowdark Kickstarter comments:

I guess it might be a good idea to back this now, rather than wait for the physical product to come in stock, which might be subject to a price increase. $85 for the two guidebooks x 1.54 = $131.