Tabletop makers push back against tariffs with honesty and direct political action

By December 2024, Mythworks had sold out of the first print run of its award-winning tabletop roleplaying game Slugblaster’s rulebook and Game of the Year edition. It announced the reprint immediately: Production would begin soon, with the book and pizza box-shaped special edition in stock and shipped by March 2025. It immediately opened pre-orders. In March, Mythworks announced it wouldn’t have the books or GOTY edition in stock until May; a delay caused by the production of its included enamel pins. Everything was on track for the May release date. The Slugblaster: Core Rules book was printed. The Slugblaster: Game of the Year Edition, including all of its accessories, were assembled and ready to board a shipping container from China bound for the United States.

Then, US President Donald Trump made an announcement: tariffs. Tariffs on goods from China, Vietnam, Canada, and a whole bunch of other countries. Then, some of those tariffs were paused, save for a baseline 10% on most goods coming into the U.S. The exception was on products imported from China, which were subject to a tariff increase of 145% — a dramatic escalation of a looming trade war. 

The tariffs, as of May 12, have been called off in a 90-day pause, replaced by a blanket 30% tariff on Chinese-made goods. Companies like Mythwoods are not out of the woods; the increased tariffs mean increased prices, and the future remains uncertain. Though the existential threat of it all is less severe, the resulting chaos is not easily forgotten. Like many other ther tabletop game makers, Mythworks co-founder Ray Chou has been loud in his displeasure with the Trump administration’s approach to tariffs; he’s mobilized his playerbase to advocate for change.

“I also just worry about the direction of this country,” Chou said. “All this crazy, crappy stuff that is happening, and the growing authoritarianism and facism of the administration. It’s terrifying all around, and it’s all connected.”

When the 145% tariffs were announced, Chou had to make his own announcement. The pre-ordered Slugblaster books and special editions were stuck in China. Customers wouldn’t get their orders in May, and there was no real answer for when the stuff would be able to ship. Chou outlined the situation in a blog post on April 24. The company ordered 6,000 copies of the GOTY edition of Slugblaster, which cost under $30,000 to make. With the 145% levies, Mythworks would now pay $43,000 on top of the initial cost to produce the games. There was no way the company could shoulder that burden.

“We simply do not have that kind of capital on hand,” Chou wrote. “The suddenly inflated bill created by the added tax is a real threat to our existence.”