A Mid-Game Rule Change (But We’re Still in It to Win It)

Every Wednesday night, we gather around the table with friends to play board games—old favorites, new prototypes, and of course, Rise of Babel. It’s our favorite way to unwind, connect, and get inspired.

Now imagine this: you’re one turn from victory, the perfect hand in place... and suddenly, the rules change. Instead of your move, the turn order reverses. Confusion hits, maybe a little arguing—but you adjust. That’s what the new U.S. tariffs have felt like for us.

But like any great game, we’re not flipping the table—we’re staying focused, changing our strategy, and playing through.

Tariffs

As memory serves me right starting with April 2025, board games made in China and imported to the U.S. are subject to a 145% tariff. This is calculated on the manufacturing cost, not retail price—but the impact is pretty big.

We manufacture our games in China. And since 80% of our customers are in the U.S., this will affects us. For an example a shipment with $50,000 in manufacturing costs now costs us $122,500 to bring into the U.S.

Then suddenly our minds started working over time. What is our game plan?

Over the past few weeks, I and team have been deep in research mode—scouring Facebook groups, industry forums, and publisher chats to gather every bit of insight we could. We’ve spoken with fellow creators, sought advice from logistics experts, and explored every angle on how to navigate the new import tax.

Here is what the team decided:

• We have to prolong manufacturing of Rise of Babel. (1) Because if we finish we will pay storage fees. (2) Due to the import tariff
• We are still planning to fulfill Rise of Babel well within the deadline of October
• At this time we are not planning to charge our backers extra expenses

We need your help!

What can you do to help? Instead of charging backers the tariff fee we ask you to please support us through these tariffs by backing 3 Magi. Click below for the KS link

Back 3 Magi on Kickstarter. We launch on May 13! 

Summary

Every game has unexpected twists—and the recent U.S. tariffs on games manufactured in China are our latest surprise move. Since we produce Rise of Babel in China and most of our backers are in the U.S., this 145% import tariff directly affects us. But instead of panicking, we’ve been hard at work—consulting experts, exploring creative solutions, and adjusting timelines to keep everything on track.

We’re delaying manufacturing slightly to avoid unnecessary fees, but Rise of Babel is still on schedule for delivery in October. Most importantly, we’re not passing any extra costs onto backers at this time.

Want to support us through this? Back our new game 3 Magi on Kickstarter, launching May 13!

Your support means the world—and helps keep the fun going strong.

We <3 each and every one of you!

Elijah & Natalie the Bedouin Games team