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.

 

[Sacrosanct]

If we indeed redraw the border near the Great Lakes, why not. We could also add Michigan, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Maine.

Why not also include WA, OR, and CA? Visually, it would look like a Canadian hug

 

[Eminence_Grise]

The board game golden age may be over for good.

I'm guessing it already was over, but this is going to be a massive blow to board games and a period of consolidation/bankcrupties. CMON is already not doing great.

As a canadian, I'm not going to spend money in the foreseeable future on american rpgs or board games.

 

[Scribe]

IF GW keeps up the practice, we'll get hit as many as three times with tariffs on GW products before they hit Canadian shelves.

Lord, as if it wasn't bad enough.

 

[Professor Murder]

If you have been eyeing a physical product, buy it now. Like this week. When in hand stock is depleted, some of these products will not get another print run under these conditions. Also, if there is a small studio which you enjoy or wish to support, do so now. It's entirely possible they will not exist in their current form shortly.

The only other thing consumers can do from a purchasing prospective is to get comfortable with and advocate for digital product. But expect their costs to also go up, as not only will this happen to try and stem the bleeding of lost sales, but it's generally apparent that most digital published game materials are sold at a loss and that is going to have to end.

Otherwise, my recommended course of action is to practice critical thinking and apportion blame accurately. The majority of games publishers are small or even micro businesses. Don't let the 300lb gorilla that is Hasbro confuse you. Many games we love are made by like four people out of their kitchen. And they are about to close their doors. Yes, forum rules ask that we not make this political. That's fair. So when you are done here, you have two choices, either to accept all this, or to speak up. Have some grace to your fellow travelers and gamer please, but hold people to account.

Good luck all. I have a deep an abiding love for this hobby and make no mistake, it is about to be tested by fire.

 

[dragoner]

I think people should understand is that when the trust goes, the relationship dies. Things aren't going to come back, or be the same again, it's all water under the bridge at this point.

 

[MGibster]

This is all a lot to process, so in my preoccupation over what this meant for consumers, and more importantly me, I didn't even think of local retailers here in the United States until now. My local game store sells collectible card games, board games, role playing games, miniatures games, snacks, and then miscellaneous gaming related paraphernalia like dice, paints, brushes, etc., etc., and odds & ends like stuffed animals. It sucks for me just because I can't get as many things as I might not like, but for them their ability to make a living is threatened.

 

[The Soloist]

Gamers of the USA Unite!
March on the White House, roll a 20 and win the day. Reverse tariffs.
Nothing is more relentless than an angry gamer!

Seriously, put pressure on your local representatives.

 

[Professor Murder]

This is all a lot to process, so in my preoccupation over what this meant for consumers, and more importantly me, I didn't even think of local retailers here in the United States until now. My local game store sells collectible card games, board games, role playing games, miniatures games, snacks, and then miscellaneous gaming related paraphernalia like dice, paints, brushes, etc., etc., and odds & ends like stuffed animals. It sucks for me just because I can't get as many things as I might not like, but for them their ability to make a living is threatened.

It is wild how there is going to be a knock on effect in that this may be the final nail in the coffin for independent game stores. And without them as breeding grounds for interest in TCGs, many TCGs may wither on the vine. The big 3 can weather the storm most likely, but it's going to have chilling effect on gaming innovation. New games and ideas are going to be smothered in the crib if FLGS go away.

Also, I hope no one here enjoyed collecting printed comics.

 

[dragoner]

It's funny now how I make a couple of dollars less on my book vs my pdf's, I was looking at the prices and thought nah, just leave them the same. I play from the book though, so it always has held that certain importance to me. The book, and the pdf are related, two completely different work flows, however.

 

[Nebulous]

I am glad I have a stack of old board games that I have not used and can fall back on for a long while if necessary, but this is terrible, terrible news for small publishers. It could take years for the repercussions of this to balance out again.