Board game publishers brace for shipping price hike, delays as US drops tariffs on China to 30% in 90-day ‘truce’
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Welcome to the latest BoardGameWire newsletter!
Companies across the board game industry continue to wrestle with the ever-changing US tariffs on China, which earlier this week were dropped from 145% to 30% in a 90-day ‘pause’ while negotiations between the two countries take place. That fall from what has been described as ‘extinction-level’ heights for the industry in the US still leaves tariffs at a debilitating amount for many board game creators, however. This week BoardGameWire spoke to a host of publishers now bracing themselves for spiking shipping and freight costs, as businesses race to shift their products during the lower-tariff window.
We also have the results of this year’s Diana Jones Award emerging designer programme, which aims to amplify the voices of up-and-coming tabletop designers - with a focus on creators from marginalized communities. This year’s winners will each receive a $6,500 prize package that includes an all-expenses trip to Gen Con, as well as prizes including prototyping credit at The Game Crafter, an online badge to Protospiel and a game demo spot on Gen Con TV.
This week’s edition also features Ares Games betting on the future of the US board game market despite the tariffs by signing a pair of English language distribution deals, reaction from some of the winners of this year’s much-coveted Golden Geek Awards - voted on by the users of BoardGameGeek - and a window into some new designs coming out of Japan with the results of the Golden Box Awards - which are decided on by members of the country’s board game industry.
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Mike Didymus-True - Editor
Board game publishers brace for shipping price hike, delays as US drops tariffs on China to 30% in 90-day ‘truce’
Elevated tariffs continue to threaten the board game industry despite a 90-day ‘truce’ between the US and China – with publishers now facing a spike in shipping prices and a battle for limited container space as businesses race to take advantage of the lower-tariff window. BoardGameWire spoke to a host of publishers after the tariffs were temporarily dropped from 145% to 30% this week - many of whom agreed the pause had simply swapped one disastrous financial situation within the industry for another.
Four up-and-coming designers win expenses-paid Gen Con trip in latest Diana Jones emerging designer program
The Diana Jones Award committee has unveiled this year’s winners of its emerging designer program, who will each receive a $6,500 prize package that includes an all-expenses trip to Gen Con. Marceline Leiman, Ashraf Braden, Elliot Davis and Lyla McBeath Fujiwara will also receive a one-year voting membership to trade body GAMA through the award, as well as prizes including prototyping credit at The Game Crafter, an online badge to Protospiel and a game demo spot on Gen Con TV.
The contest, which is now in its fifth year, aims to amplify the voices of up-and-coming tabletop designers, with a focus on creators from marginalized communities.
“We hope these bets will pay off”: Ares signs two US distribution deals despite ongoing trade war with China
War of the Ring publisher Ares Games has signed a pair of new US distribution deals, with director of production Roberto Di Meglio saying the company hopes to prove “there is still life for our industry during the trade war”. Ares, which is based in Italy but specialises in producing English editions of games, has agreed to distribute titles from fellow Italian publisher Tabula Games and Czech-based Albi – the former into English-speaking markets, and the latter globally outside of Europe.
Arcs wins big in 2024 Golden Geek Awards, SETI brings home pair of prizes
Arcs, the hybrid trick-taking wargame from Root and Oath designer Cole Wehrle, won a trio of awards in this year’s Golden Geek Awards, with fellow space-themed game SETI notching up a pair of wins. Wehrle’s design triumphed in the Wargame, Innovative and Best Expansion categories in the 2024 Golden Geeks, which are nominated and voted on by BoardGameGeek users.
BoardGameWire collected reactions from awards winners including Flip 7 designer Eric Olsen, Unconscious Mind artist Vincent Dutrait and The Fellowship of the Ring: Trick-Taking Game designer Bryan Bornmueller about what the prize means to them.
The Golden Box Awards, voted on by members of Japan’s board game industry, crowns Umataka as game of the year
Umataka, a worker placement game centred around hunter-gatherers making traditional pottery in ancient Japan, has been named game of the year in the latest Golden Box Board Game Awards. The annual contest was launched three years ago modeled on the American film industry’s Academy Awards, with the aim of recognising the work of Japanese designers and artists through judging by their peers.
Umataka, designed by Mukai and Napopora, sees players compete with their worker – and dog! – meeples to hunt, cook, gather jade and craft pottery during Japan’s neolithic Jomon period in what is now the Niigata Prefecture.
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Other news:
Players are boycotting the World Championships of Warhammer in the US because of Trump and his policies - Rascal News
A new board game simulates how a US-China war would be fought - a write-up of Sebastian Bae’s wargame Littoral Commander in Business Insider
Design Zone
Erica Bouyouris and Sen-Foong Lim from the Ludology podcast talk with Ellie Dix about her work in stepping outside the hobby sphere to make games for corporations
Zenergy by FiksuFox Games is the winner of the Game Crafter’s ZSA Card Challenge
Matthew Dunstan continues his excellent board game design Q&A to celebrate his channel reaching 1,000 subscribers
Ellie Dix again, this time exploring how to design games which feature just a single mechanic
Designer Diary: Dropolter Q&A with designer Paul Schulz - BoardGameGeek
Skeleton Code Machine takes a deep dive into the Ocean Madness tracker in Deep Regrets, an “unfortunate fishing game about pulling progressively more horrifying things out of the ocean”.
The Cardboard Philosophy podcast discuss how the ‘why we do what we do’ in games differs from the ‘how we do it’, and how that impacts the end result
Geoff Engelstein ruminates on trying to cut down feedback loops in designs if you want to make the next great gateway game
Brandon Rollins from e-commerce and crowdfunding specialist Fulfillrite [Disclosure! They’re a sponsor of this newsletter!] highlights 10 Kickstarter tips and tricks for a successful campaign
On the Unboxed podcast, Jen Graham-Macht and Danni Loe talk to board game branding and visual design specialist Matt Paquette about how good graphic design can make or break a game experience
Joe Slack from The Board Game Design Course explains why you should always be professional and polite to crowdfunding backers - even when they aren’t doing the same
Designer Diary: The Birth of Trickerion by Viktor Peter - BoardGameGeek
The Game Design Unboxed podcast chat with Ace Ellett from Bluefish Games about designing and playtesting puzzle, mystery and escape room games
Peter C Hayward and AJ Brandon discuss catch-up mechanisms in gaming, such as rubber banding and blue shells
Joe Wiggins from Allplay and Nick Murray from Bitewing Games discuss the importance and options around the thing that holds the bits - board game boxes and packaging
Shem, Sam and Zach from Garphill Games look at the strengths of various board game designers via a 5-a-side team ‘snake draft’ on the latest episode of their Lens and Veil podcast
Job Watch
Germany - Commercial Manager, Hasbro
All these jobs are from the very excellent Tabletop Game Jobs Facebook Group - head there to take a look at all the latest listings
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