Concerning Tariffs
In defiance of even our wildest imaginings, the United States is poised to enact sweeping global tariffs sure to leave its own economy and likely the global economy in tatters. In the third, likely most potent and quickest-realized global recession I have lived through, this one is going to leave us in a precarious state.
Currently, we are working to wrap development on Valor: Villains, Creatures and Foes. Since we knew there were going to be tariffs and that those tariffs would be ill-conceived, haphazardly applied and ultimately harmful, we’d been quietly looking into other options for delivering our goal, a full hardcover publication of our latest book. American manufacturing is, sadly, nowhere near capable of producing hardcover books to scale at what the market considers an acceptable cost – to give an example, the per-unit price I was quoted when I explored printing in the United States for the original core Valor book is more than we are currently charging for the book. Printing is not among the kinds of manufacturing we have emphasized or built out in this country, and we are woefully unequipped to handle it in any kind of business, much less one with such low profits and tight margins as tabletop RPGs.
For now, all we are doing, all we really can do is monitor the situation as we drive toward completion. The text-only version was already a promised reward for the original Kickstarter, that version will go live first to backers and then up as a pre-release on itch.io as we work to get the layouts in order and begin producing art. Our original plan was to launch the Kickstarter within the next few months, to fund for both the remaining art requirements and the book itself (funded additionally by my own day job, as is typical). As things stand now, it’s hard to say whether this will be feasible. We are exploring the potential of printing with another country (South Korea and Vietnam are the primary contenders), both have their own industries and may be able to produce at reasonable cost and aren’t hit as hard by the tariffs. With the expected retaliatory tariffs that come when you decide to start a trade war with the entire world, however, and with the economic collapse to follow, there’s no guarantee that even this will be enough.
To be frank, it feels a bit bizarre to talk about games and the production of games when you know that millions in your country are likely soon to be unable to afford food and basic necessities. While we are both employed for now, there’s no guarantee that those jobs will hold, and even one of us losing our jobs in this environment could basically put all production on ice for the foreseeable future. A future that, unfortunately, is looking increasingly bleak. But still, our hope is to continue making games. One of the greatest pleasures in my life is to share the games I’ve made with others, and to see their faces when they enjoy it.
If printing turns out to not be possible in this time, we will likely try for a smaller Kickstarter for just the full PDF version, with the hope of Kickstarting for the print edition if the United States ever manages to meaningfully reverse its collision course with destruction (or the tattered remains of whatever is left prove to be more hospitable). Villains, Creatures and Foes was always intended to be the soft launch for our Lenaia setting, a magical academy and magical girl-inspired setting that we’ve been developing alongside Foes. We’re targeting a quick release for the setting book following Foes, which again is contingent upon our own security, which is far from guaranteed. From there, our hope is to expand into fiction and other games – the unfortunate fact is tabletop RPGs alone cannot sustain a company unless your name is or your work involves Dungeons and Dragons. As a game designer and a creative, Valor is by this point my life’s work, but it’s not the scope of my life’s ambition. I want to make so many games, tell so many stories, and bring so many different things to life. Perhaps someday we’ll be in a place where that kind of thing is possible. Until then, I’ll keep moving forward, and fighting for it in what little way I can. I hope all of you are able to weather this absurd disaster, and that your family, loved ones, and community can come together in these awful times and find a way forward. If these past few months have taught me anything, it’s that we truly have nothing to protect ourselves except each other.
It is a grueling, exhausting existence we find ourselves in. But even still, I at least intend to carry on and keep walking forward. I hope you will as well, since I want to see everyone on the other side, whenever it is we reach it.
Liana MacKenzie
Owner, Valorous Games