In May, we shared our plan for handling the sudden 145% tariff on board games manufactured in China. That update laid out our options, explained the impact on current projects, and introduced a set of pre-orderable games to help us manage the financial burden.
Today, as promised, we’re following up with what’s changed—and what hasn’t.
If you haven’t read the original plan, the updates might be confusing! You can read it here.
✅ Where We Stand Now
The tariff rate is currently reduced to 30%, and we’ve resumed U.S. imports.
- In mid-May, tariffs on board games were reduced from 145% to 30%.
- That triggered our previously-announced plan to move forward with all paused U.S. shipments if tariff rates dropped below 50%.
- While some uncertainty remains in U.S.-China trade relations, we’re confident the most volatile phase has passed.
🚢 Shipping & Fulfillment Updates
Brink
- All worldwide Brink shipments are now on freight vessels.
- You can find tracking information in the latest Brink Kickstarter update.
- Delivery timeline estimates have all been updated and will continue to be updated in forthcoming Kickstarter updates.
Tend
- No tariff-related delay.
- Production was delayed due to component revisions and approvals. This was covered in our April monthly Kickstarter update.
- Mass production is currently underway.
- Fulfillment will proceed as planned and further production and delivery timeline updates can be found in our monthly Kickstarter updates.
Scales of Fate & Other Projects
- No delays or changes.
- Includes: Scales of Fate, Graft, Pillars of Fate, Time to Panic, Brink: Section 99, and the Moonrakers Playing Card Deck.
📦 Pre-Orders & Availability
- Pre-orders for the “Terrific Tariff Trade” items (Graft, Pillars of Fate, Time to Panic, Brink: Section 99, and the Moonrakers Playing Card Deck) have migrated from the Scales of Fate pledge manager to our webstore and can be purchased here.
- All five “Terrific Tariff Trade” products will also be available again at Gen Con and through the Realm of Reckoning pledge manager
💵 Tariff Policy & Pricing
We’re still covering the majority of tariffs ourselves.
- Our backers will not be asked to pay extra for any already-funded projects.
- MSRP prices for new and existing products remain unchanged—for now.
- We are committed to maintaining our MSRP price stability stance for at least the next 3 months.
- We will be increasing U.S. shipping costs slightly on future campaigns to account for the on-going volatility and increased costs of tariffs.
- If conditions shift dramatically, we’ll revisit this—and always transparently.
🔮 Looking Ahead
Realm of Reckoning Launches June 24th
- Tariffs are not being considered in our MSRP and Kickstarter Edition pricing decisions.
- Shipping costs will increase slightly for U.S. orders to help cover the increased costs of tariffs.
- Learn more about Realm of Reckoning on the Kickstarter preview page.
Manufacturing Strategy
- No immediate changes, but we’re actively exploring long-term options.
- Many partners in China are expanding into regions with lower or no tariffs, which may benefit us and the industry over time.
Operational Adjustments
- We’ve slowed spending in other areas to absorb tariff costs:
- Hiring
- Convention budgets
- Additional game copies for retail availability
- These cuts help protect your experience as a backer and player.
❤️ Thank You
Your support has made all the difference. Whether through messages, pre-orders, or simply sticking with us—thank you. We’re committed to navigating this period responsibly, and we’re optimistic about what comes next.
We’ll keep building, shipping, and celebrating great games together.
—
With appreciation,
Samuel Cowden & The IV Team
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