The ongoing stupidity, insanity, and outright graft involving the US’s approach to tariffs has been one of the most unpleasant subjects to cover in this blog.

The implementation of broad global tariffs on a whim (or based on a slight, real or imagined, against the gilded tinpot dictator who occupies the Oval Office) has made it challenging at best, and absolutely untenable at worst, for many game designers and manufacturers in the board game industry.

In the year since those tariffs were enacted, hundreds of board game projects have been canceled or drastically simplified to manage costs. Some brands, like Tokaido, have been sold to other companies to minimize costs. Print runs were lessened, and prices increased.

Companies like Greater Than Games and Final Frontier Games, as well as outlets like Boardlandia, have shut down entirely. Other companies like Cephalofair Games have been forced to fire or furlough staff, while games like Underdog Games have shut down operations temporarily in the hopes of weathering the tariff storm.

The tariff’s impact was put plainly by the owner of Avalanche Press, who stated that tariff costs would have covered the production costs of two additional games this year alone. Essentially, he was taking 3 copies of every game and throwing them in the dumpster.

Some game designers, like TinkerHouse Games, have sued the government in the hopes of clawing back those tariffs.

While the EuroGames industry thrives, the US has become such an unreliable trade partner that it’s unknown how many of those games will even reach American shores.

There was a brief bit of sun amidst the dark clouds last week as the Supreme Court struck down Trump’s tariffs as unconstitutional.

“Relief!” said Jamey Steigmaier of Stonemaier Games. “Relief that the tariff taxes can’t skyrocket on a whim tomorrow, a fear I’ve lived with every day since April,” he told Polygon via email.

Immediately, speculation ran rampant in board game spaces. Hopes that shipping and importing would become cheaper again, and that those game companies in hibernation could return.

Unfortunately, the long-term effects of the tariffs would still be evident. All those companies that folded because of the tariffs are still gone. All that inventory that cost two or three times as much as expected to ship… those costs still need to be covered.

All those more expensive game components, all those attempts to find US-based manufacturing for these games — a manufacturing infrastructure that is no closer to existing than it was a year ago when the tariffs were haphazardly implemented.

All that tariff money that those companies will probably never see back.

The board game industry has been decimated, decades of growth wiped out in less than a year.

But sadly, only one avenue for applying tariffs has been closed to Trump.

He has since spitefully announced an increase in global tariffs instead through another governmental mechanism, and the industry must wait again with bated breath to see how bad it will be when the latest tsunami hits.

It’s exhausting to watch as a board game fan, so I can only imagine how absolutely brutal it must be as a game designer or employee of a game company.

I can only hope this very public defeat is the first of many in favor of independent creators.

In the meantime, support puzzle and game creators whenever and however you can. It’s more important than ever to find small joys wherever possible, whether it’s inside a black-and-white grid or at the table with friends, rolling dice.

Happy playing, friends.