Like many others, I am watching the impact of the Tariff War on the tabletop gaming hobby. To date the Tariff War has had little direct impact to my gaming aside from a couple of delayed shipments and now surcharges. I fully realize the real impact to my gaming is yet to come yet, truth be told, I am a bit indifferent as you likely will realize after reading the rest of this blog.
Recent deliveries
First, hats off to The Dietz Foundation for pushing through delivery of Littoral Commander: The Baltic and Order of the Day: Normandy. As it stands right now these titles may be last ones I acquire before tariff surcharges and the like kick in.
Staking out a position
The range of publisher responses to the Tariff War run the gamut from delays to surcharges. I see several companies advertising sales to increase cash reserves; a solution that I feel works in the short-term but I do not see as viable in the long-term. I also see companies talking about smaller print runs to avoid paying tariffs on games that will sit in warehouses.
One possible publisher response I see little mention of is a reduction in or reducing of components. Specifically, I am talking about publishers putting less “bling” components like plastic or metal—or even wood—components into games in order to reduce production (and shipping?) costs. As a wargamer I am comfortable with the classic “hex & counter” approach to game components but I recognize that others demand spiffy accessorizing in games. If the Tariff War continues long enough I wonder if we might see a simplification of components in an effort to control costs.
On the customer side I see some individuals asking about “donating” money to companies. While I sometimes add to the “donation cost” of a nonprofit Dietz Foundation game I do so because there is a social contract between myself and Jim Dietz that promises those dollars are added to a scholarship endowment or to help cover scholarship associated costs. For any other publisher I expect them to set a price for a game and I will decide if I will buy it…or not.
The one solution that everybody seems to acknowledge but insists is unrealistic is to onshore production out of China. As the Tariff War continues this approach, now seemingly untenable, might need to be revisited.
Digging in
To be honest, a slow-down of delivery (or my purchasing) of games will not be a personally devastating event. With my extensive collection I am, in some ways, “Tariff Proof” when it comes to gaming opportunities. In addition to the many individual titles I own I also possess many “series” games with extensive scenarios or campaign gaming opportunities. If I never buy another game again I am confident I would enjoy playing many different games for years to come. This is what I had to do for COVID; I can do it again if necessary.
Exposed position
A review of my “RockyMountainNavy’s Preorder & Kickstarter Roll” Geeklist shows the good, and the bad, of my Tariff War exposure where boardgames and wargames are concerned.
Wargames
Eastern Front Operational Battles (Compass Games). This is a pre-order I mistakenly paid for in advance several years ago. I have not been following the Compass Games Townhalls closely so I am not sure what their responses to the Tariffs are. A few years ago I stopped backing Compass Games titles through pre-order and instead wait until it hits Kickstarter just before publication. I assume that any Tariff Surcharge or the like will be reflected in that cost. I will decide on a case-by-case basis to purchase or not.
Next War: Taiwan, Next War: Series Supplement #4, Defiance: 2nd Russo-Ukrainian War 2022-?, Red Storm: Southern Flank (GMT Games). Gene from GMT Games published a newsletter on April 17 that was very open. The most revealing line perhaps was, “As you’ll see from the financial details I’m sharing below, these tariffs and their meteoric rise over just a couple of weeks, have presented a set of huge, potentially fatal problems for us at GMT [Emphasis in original].” Gene is also introducing Tariff Surcharges on games:
We will begin to charge a “Tariff Surcharge” on (only) games that come into the US for as long as we have tariffs. We’re not going to change P500 or Retail prices. Those work for us where they are. But we have to account for the extra tariffs, and we simply can’t afford to pay them all ourselves. So we’re going to limit the number of games we pay tariffs on (between #2 and #3 above), and then GMT is going to contribute and pay part of the tariff cost. What’s left will appear as a Tariff Surcharge when you order or when a game is charged on our website or when a distributor orders our games.
To be perfectly clear, no currently in-stock games will get a tariff surcharge. The first games to get the surcharge are the five P500 titles that are charging April 21. And unlike future surcharges (which once we have our direct shipping set up will not apply to our international customers), these April 21 surcharges will apply to ALL P500 orders and distributors (because we haven’t yet diversified our shipping). Because these games came in while 20% tariffs were in effect, what we’re passing along after we pay our contribution is a pretty small amount. Here’s what the Tariff Surcharges will be for those five games.
[Table deleted]
Note that these relatively small surcharges for 20% tariffs get a LOT worse at 145% (could be as much as 15-25% above current retail pricing, depending on quantities printed and ordered), but we’ll do our best to keep them as low as possible even if the tariffs remain high over time. And we’ll always tell you in advance what they will be BEFORE we make a P500 charge so you’ll have time to change your mind about your order if you need to.
GMT Games also imposed at 30-day freeze on sending new titles to the printers. Of course, this affects my Next War: Taiwan order. The other titles are further away from printing so the impact on me will not be seen for some time. I already waited four years for the reprint of Next War: Taiwan so I guess a bit more waiting is just part of the package. I joked a year or more back which might happen first; delivery of Next War: Taiwan or a real invasion of Taiwan. With the original Davidson Window of 2027 approaching which do you think will arrive first?
The Halls of Montezuma, Hunt for Blackbeard (Fort Circle Games). When these games funded through Kickstarter their projected delivery dates were November 2023 and December 2024, respectively. I understand the delays from Fort Circle but it is equally clear that they are being hoisted on their own petard by the delays they accepted (caused?) by extended development timelines.
#Maneuver Warfare, Sweeping Satellites, Littoral Commander: Australia (The Dietz Foundation). I will be frank; of all the publishers out there I believe in Jim Dietz the most. If anybody is going to get games to delivery during the Tariff War it will be Jim. I strongly believe Jim will do everything he can to control cost but, if it becomes necessary to further raise prices or add a surcharge or whatever the chosen solution is, Jim will be fully transparent with us customers.
La Bataille de Kulm (Against the Odds Magazine). The latest Update (#24) in this Kickstarter campaign with a projected delivery of July 2025 noted:
“Interesting times…”
That supposedly is an “ancient Chinese curse,” and we aren’t sure whether it’s true…but it certainly sounds true, especially in times like these. While much of the boardgame/wargame world worries about tariffs causing massive impact on production and production costs, we are happy to say our worries are minimized. Against the Odds games are entirely made in America (even the plastic boxes we used to use). While we bought the tiny dice that went into them from a US outfit, we suspect those were imported from East Asia but those are past tense anyway.
Our only possible hit is that our US printers often use wood pulp from Canada, especially for the higher end maps. And of course, your map for Kulm is as ‘high-end’ as it gets. The good news here, as we mentioned last time, is that your maps are finished and sitting in the warehouse.
Model’s Counterattack (Sergio Schiavi). A Kickstarter campaign from an overseas publisher with a projected delivery of June 2025. We will see what impact the tariffs have on this campaign.
Korea: The Fight Across the 38th (RBM Studios). With the wildfires in LA and Rodger B. MacGowan’s unfortunate passing I am not sure we will ever see this title printed, at least by RBM Studios. Getting my copy is not important in any way; I pray Roger’s family and friends are well as we all grieve the passing of a wargaming legend.
Boardgames
FormulaGP (Duck’s Games). This Gamefound campaign was originally projected for a December 2024 fulfillment. My read of the updates on the campaign tell me this title suffers from extended development and a focus on the digital implementation vice the physical. If you are a digital tabletop player there is plenty of material published…but at the cost of the physical publication? At this point I will be happy just to get the game, whatever it ends up as, in hand. It is almost certain that I will never back another Duck’s Games project.
To Honor Grandfather (Cheese Weasel Games). This Kickstarter project, originally projected for August 2024, suffered some unfortunate schedule delays when a new publisher needed to be found. It is supposedly close to shipping…but we will see.
Root: The Homeland Expansion (Leder Games). Kickstarter campaign with a projected delivery of November 2025. With over 27,000 backers pledging over $2.4 million one likely might think that gives Leder Games the cash reserves to pay for printing, shipping, and storage. We. Will. See.
Emergency Operations Center Board Game: Wildfire Mayhem (Self published by Art Simental). This entire Kickstarter campaign is a one-man effort, and Art seems to be a very hopeful guy. My hopes are mixed; we will see what actually delivers (supposedly “soon”). I supported because I want to see more educational/training wargames out there.
Roleplaying Games
I do not fully understand the impact of tariffs on tabletop roleplaying games. I do not understand how roleplaying game books are different from other printed materials. According to the American Booksellers Association (ABA) in early April:
Books Are Exempt
Because the Trump tariffs were imposed under the IEEPA, “informational materials,” which includes books, are exempt. So there will be no additional tariffs on books sourced from any country, other than those which already existed.
Moreover, as of the current date, goods from Canada and Mexico that are compliant with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) are not currently subject to the new reciprocal tariffs. As such, paper that is wholly grown, produced, or manufactured in Canada, Mexico, or the U.S. is USMCA compliant and not subject to new reciprocal tariffs.
There were already tariffs on some types of books coming from China – and those still remain in place. (See China below.)
…
Books from All Other Countries [less China, Canada, Mexico]: Under the April 2 reciprocal tariff, which is again was imposed under IEEPA, books from all other countries are excepted from the new reciprocal tariffs. Assuming the latest 125% tariff on China was enacted under IEEPA, books would still be exempt, though books would still be subject to the Section 301 tariffs implemented in 2018 (see China, below).
The ABA also makes this note which I do not see being discussed elsewhere:
What Happens to Items Ordered Before the Tariffs Were Imposed?
Tariffs are imposed on goods based on when those items enter the U.S., not when they are ordered. There are exceptions, however: Goods loaded and in transit before April 5, 2025, and arriving by May 27, 2025, are exempt from the new reciprocal tariffs. Goods that arrive after May 27, 2025, will likely face the new tariffs, even if ordered prior to April 5.
My tabletop roleplaying game exposure here is limited but, of three projects I am backing, two are overseas publishers which might make for some…interesting results.
Space: 1999 – The Tabletop Roleplaying Game (Modiphius). The pdf was made available to pre-order customers last month; the hardcover is expected in May 2025.
Scavenger: Caches and Prizes (Joel Kreissman). A self-published effort projected for December 2025. A very small campaign with a mere 69 backers raising $2,690. Will track and see what happens.
ALIEN RPG – Evolved Edition and Rapture Protocol (Free League Publishing). Free League is a powerhouse RPG publisher. We will see what how they handle the Tariff Wars in a campaign with nearly 12,000 backers raising about $2.4 million. Projected delivery is September 2025.
Feature image courtesy WordPress Generate AI.
The opinions and views expressed in this blog are those of the author alone and are presented in a personal capacity. They do not necessarily represent the views of U.S. Navy or any other U.S. government Department, Agency, Office, or employer.
RockyMountainNavy.com © 2007-2025 by Ian B is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Rocky Mountain Navy Gamer 
I’ll stick to facts not political opinions here.
Update #9, April 4, 2025- Alien RPG KS Campaign
“Understandably, we have gotten some questions about the new tariffs announced for imports to the US. First off, to be very clear: As stated on the Kickstarter page, we have local fulfillment hubs in the US, as well as in the UK, EU, Australia and Canada. This means that there will be no tariffs, import fees or taxes to pay if you live in any of these regions. The new US tariffs do not change that.”
My opinion is that a game is just a game. Sure, playing games is a hobby of mine, but that’s all. I have way too many as it is. Either games are priced competitively or they’re not. I’m much more concerned with the price of groceries.
I think you and GMT hit it on the head when you distinguished between short term and long term.
In the short term a lot of these companies will die or go into suspended animation, if they are part-time efforts or sidelines… and they may or may not be reanimated.
In the longer term more than one of several things are likely to happen: this whipsaw tariff ride won’t last forever, so something like a normal will emerge, but it won’t be over until they have done double damage to the American economy and by extension its consumers: first by provoking at least a recession and possibly a depression, and again by the USA forfeiting the decades of goodwill or at least trustworthiness in its economic dealings …
[For what, exactly?
In Canada we are quite sure that whatever comes out to replace the USMCA, because while it is wise of us to diversify our trading partners (which we should have been doing for the last 25 years anyway but we got complacent as we usually do) we cannot cease trading with you but we are also quite sure that your country will not be held by any aspect of the agreement it does not care for at the moment.
Which is kind of how NAFTA and the USMCA were working out for us in practice anyway, e.g. softwood but at least there was the sneaking feeling that the countries should at least try to follow their self-imposed and agreed-upon rules… now there is not even that.
Why should the world take your country’s word on anything, from now on?]
So whatever game companies survive the disastrous short term will then attempt to weather the painful longer term, where there is less money slopping around for niche luxury goods like these specialized board games… more of them will die off, but perhaps it will be a planned death instead of a tariff regime that changes every 72 hours.
What will they do?
Well, continue to publish, but components will be cheaper and nastier (I agree there is no possibility of onshoring game production on the scale it was done in China; heck, there wasn’t even that much capacity in the USA when SPI was around).
Fewer games? I don’t think so, there is as much creativity flying around as ever but fewer games will get the nicer treatment or broader distribution they might now – don’t think that will send the industry into a death spiral, at least not that alone.
I made a snarky comment on BGG in a tariff-related thread about how nearly a third of my oeuvre is available through print-and-play, either free or for a pretty modest cost ($8 a pop, not much more than a McDonald’s Happy Meal which you will have voided in a few hours, without the benefit of having to do a small crafting project first).
Tariff-proof, postage costs proof, quality equal to whatever time and effort the buyer wants to put into it, within limits.
Appealing, but not the sort of thing that anyone can really monetize to make it worth more than a part-time job… I once quipped to Kerry Anderson that hour for hour we would be better off collecting aluminum cans, and I was right. I’m not sure that the guy who runs WargameVault which makes thousands of these PnP items available to people gets a living wage off it.
But that is one way the hobby itself will survive, even if the material industry that supports it might not… because it’s immune to any economic laws, pretty much.
Sorry, kind of writing in circles here.