🦩Update #8- Manufacturing Update: A Potential Move to Brazil
Hey Feather Fanatics,
We hope you’re enjoying the summer and maybe even catching a glimpse of some of your favorite birds out in the wild! This month, we have an important ...
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Rose Gauntlet Entertainment
about 1 month ago
🦜 Birds Update #7 – Final Touches on Development, Graphic Design, and Editing
Hey Feather Fanatics,
Spring has officially arrived—and with it, a small but welcome break from the chaos of recent tariffs. Many of you may have seen the news: the stagger...
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Rose Gauntlet Entertainment
2 months ago
Update #6- The Tariff Update
Hey Backers,
Lindsey here with a more personal update than usual. Instead of our standard monthly check-in, this is a comprehensive company-wide message to address how ...
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Rose Gauntlet Entertainment
4 months ago
🪿Update #5-Development Almost Complete and PM Orders Locking🦢
Hey Feather Fanatics,
Spring is just around the corner, and soon, many of our favorite birds will be migrating back for summer! With the changing seasons comes an exciting ...
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Rose Gauntlet Entertainment
5 months ago
🪿Update #4-Game Samples and Flock! Premium Feather Token Reveal🦜
Hey Feather Fanatics!
It’s February, and we’re officially jealous of anyone who had the chance to migrate to warmer climates. For those of us braving the snowy north, we’re...
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Rose Gauntlet Entertainment
6 months ago
Update #3- Pledge Manager is Open and Rulebook Reveal!
Hey Feather Fanatics!
Exciting news: the Pledge Manager is now open! This is a crucial step in the crowdfunding process as it helps us determine final order quantities for t...
We hope you’re enjoying the summer and maybe even catching a glimpse of some of your favorite birds out in the wild! This month, we have an important update regarding the manufacturing of the 4 Bird Games and how recent global trade developments may impact production.
Panda Game Manufacturing Logo
A New Flight Path for Manufacturing
As many of you know, the ongoing U.S.–China trade tensions and recent tariff changes have created significant challenges for creators and manufacturers alike. In response to this evolving landscape, Panda Manufacturing—our trusted production partner—is expanding its printing capabilities with a new facility in Brazil.
This development presents an exciting opportunity: the potential to move production of the Bird Series out of China. Not only could this shift help us avoid the heavy and unpredictable tariffs currently affecting U.S.-bound goods, but it may also protect us from recent disruptions in ocean freight shipping.
What This Means for the Project
We’re currently in discussions with Panda to determine whether the Bird Games could be among the first projects produced at their new Brazilian facility. If so, it could significantly reduce our costs and improve overall logistics. Ensuring not only the success of this project but of the future ones to come.
However, this change may also introduce a delay to our original manufacturing timeline. We want to be transparent with you: while this could slightly impact our expected delivery window, we believe it is the best path forward for the health of this project—and for our company’s ability to deliver high-quality games for years to come.
We’ll keep you updated as our meetings with Panda continue, and timelines become clearer. Thank you for your continued support, patience, and passion. We’re so grateful to have such a kind and understanding flock of backers. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out!
Spring has officially arrived—and with it, a small but welcome break from the chaos of recent tariffs. Many of you may have seen the news: the staggering 145% tariff has been rolled back to a more manageable (though still challenging) 30%. Over the past month, we’ve been focused on regaining our footing and getting our projects back on track.
Development Nearing the Finish Line
Last month, much of our energy was spent navigating the tariff crisis and working closely with our manufacturer to keep production moving and costs under control. As a result, final development on the Birds Series slowed more than we had planned.
But good news—finishing development is now our top priority, and we’re on track to have all final files prepped and ready for print in June. We truly appreciate your continued patience, and we’re still aiming to meet our original November shipping goal.
See the Bird Series at KublaCon!
Heading to KublaCon this weekend? So is Isaac—and he’s bringing along some gorgeous Bird Series prototypes! If you're attending, be sure to stop by, say hello, and get an early sneak peek at the games. It's a great chance to chat, ask questions, and see what’s taking flight behind the scenes.
That’s all for now—we’ll be back soon with more development milestones and production updates. As always, thank you for being part of this journey with us. 🪶
Lindsey here with a more personal update than usual. Instead of our standard monthly check-in, this is a comprehensive company-wide message to address how the recent tariffs are affecting Rose Gauntlet and our current and future game projects.
Before we dive in, I want to sincerely thank everyone who reached out with kind words and support after our unasked for “Liberation Day”. Your messages were a bright spot in what’s been a tough couple of weeks. I also appreciate your patience waiting for this update—we wanted to make sure we had a complete and accurate understanding of the situation before communicating our path forward. For a while, the information seemed to be changing by the hour. I still worry that this info may be outdated soon after I post it.
This update is going to be very transparent and includes our actual estimated tariff costs. Our goal is to clearly explain how these new tariffs are impacting us, share the actions we’re taking, and provide insight that may also help other publishers facing similar challenges.
The Tariff Situation
Currently, the U.S. tariff rate for game and toy imports from China is set at 145%. That’s not a typo—145%. This means that for every game we import, we pay a tax that is greater than the cost of manufacturing the game itself.
Since all of our products (like the majority of the toy and tabletop industry) are made in China, this has enormous implications for our pricing, profitability, and even the types of projects we can afford to produce.
We’re not the only ones being affected by this ridiculous charge, and several industry leaders have provided helpful breakdowns of the situation. If you want to learn more, we recommend reading the following:
We’ve looked into U.S.-based production several times over the years. Domestic manufacturing would offer faster turnaround times and avoid international shipping headaches—but the truth is, no U.S. manufacturer currently exists that can meet the quality and scale we require for our games.
Beyond logistics, there’s also a personal element that doesn’t get talked about enough. We’ve worked with Panda Manufacturing since the start of Rose Gauntlet. These aren’t just vendors—they’re friends we’ve known for most of our careers. We’ve had meals together at conventions, played games together, and supported each other through the ups and downs of the industry. Suggesting that publishers simply “move production to the U.S.” not only ignores the lack of infrastructure—it overlooks the real people behind these partnerships.
So, What’s the Plan?
We’ve reviewed every area of our business, made some difficult decisions, and adapted our projects accordingly. We’re sharing the details below, including the original and current tariff projections, so you can see the scale of the impact for yourself. Please keep in mind that this is an evolving situation, and our strategies may continue to change.
Here are a few key takeaways:
We’re financially stable and able to fulfill our current projects and continue developing new titles.
We are not adding additional charges for tariffs to any open pledge managers.
We are not raising prices in pledge managers (though future retail prices are under review).
Some timelines have been shifted due to the financial pressure of tariffs.
Keystone North America 2nd Edition
Keystone was already in production when the tariff hikes were announced. As rates began climbing, we made the tough call to pause the print run to reassess our options. We’ve now decided to resume production, and the project is moving forward again. However, this pause means fulfillment is now expected in June, instead of our original estimate.
Nothing else has changed about the project—just a temporary delay while we navigated this unexpected cost.
Expected Tariff When Launched: $3,744
Current Tariff Charge: $81,315
Bird Series
The Bird Series (Pebbles, Rook Requiem, Flock, and Birds on Birds) was scheduled to begin printing right about now. Instead, we’ve pushed production to June in the hopes that there will be more clarity—or even relief—on the tariff situation.
We also made the decision to reduce the print quantity of each title from 5,000 units to 3,000. This allows us to lower our immediate tariff costs, but it also means we’ll have 8,000 fewer units to sell long-term, which hurts our ability to fund future games or pay for reprints without a new crowdfunding campaign. It also raises the per-unit cost of each game significantly.
Despite these tough choices, we’re still on track for our originally estimated delivery window, and the development of all four games is moving ahead smoothly.
Expected Tariff When Launched: $2,980
Current Tariff Charge: $64,717
Wild Gardens Reprint + Foraging Club Expansion
Wild Gardens has been one of the best-performing titles for our company, and we’re close to selling out worldwide. We had originally planned to launch the reprint and Foraging Club Expansion in April, but we decided to delay the campaign to June 3rd in order to re-evaluate our pricing, timeline, and funding goals.
After carefully reviewing everything, we’re confident we can still move forward and deliver an excellent product. A further explanation of tariffs will be added to our TAX and VAT section of the project.
This was the most difficult project to evaluate in light of everything. Gone to Gaia is big, bold, experimental—and everything the current advice says not to make right now. But it's also exactly the kind of game Isaac and I created Rose Gauntlet to publish. We’re passionate about it, and after a lot of discussion and soul-searching, we’ve decided to move forward with development and plan to crowdfund later this year.
We will be restructuring the retail version to reduce production costs. Some of the premium components and quality-of-life upgrades will likely become optional add-ons. But the heart of the game—the innovation and creativity—will remain intact.
To save costs, we’ve made the difficult decision to not have a booth at any conventions this year. These events require large upfront investments, and while they’re often successful in the long run, we can’t justify the financial risk this year.
That said, Isaac and I will still be attending Gen Con, and we’re working on low-cost options to showcase Gone to Gaia and meet with fans and partners during the show.
What We’re Doing Beyond That
Although it’s easy to feel powerless against the might of an entire government there’s still things we are doing to try and get help.
We’ve contacted our elected representatives (still waiting on responses).
We’re sharing our story with local media.
We’re collaborating with other publishers to raise awareness and share strategies.
We’re continuing to focus on making great games—no matter the challenges.
How You Can Help
If you’d like to support Rose Gauntlet and other indie publishers through this tough time, here are a few things you can do:
1. Contact your elected officials Let them know this is hurting small businesses like ours.
2. Support publishers directly Buying a game directly from a publisher’s site or crowdfunding campaign makes a huge difference—much more than buying from big box stores or Amazon. If you have a favorite locally owned game store, consider supporting them directly instead of heavily discounted online resellers.
A Special Thanks
Thanks for sticking through that wall of text. I hope it helped you better understand where we’re at—and why your support matters more than ever.
A huge thanks to our partners who’ve helped us work out solutions through countless meetings and emails these past weeks. To our creative team, who kept bringing beauty and imagination to life in the middle of chaos. And to Isaac—my co-founder, partner, and friend—thank you for your unwavering calm and commitment.
Running this company has never been easy, but it’s always been worth it. And even now, as we face one of our biggest challenges yet, I still love doing what we do every day.
If you have questions, we’re always here—just comment or email us at [email protected].
Spring is just around the corner, and soon, many of our favorite birds will be migrating back for summer! With the changing seasons comes an exciting milestone for this project—we're thrilled to announce that development is nearly complete, and it's time to start locking orders in the Pledge Manager.
Development Update: Almost Ready for Takeoff!
Over the past few months, we’ve been hard at work finalizing all the files for the various Bird games and accessories. At this stage, everything is nearly complete, with the only remaining pieces being the Goose and Mr. Darcy Stuffies. We’re happy to report that we’re 100% on track with our estimated timeline and plan to kick off manufacturing in June.
As we receive samples of the final products, we’ll be sure to share updates and sneak peeks with you—so stay tuned!
Green Squirrel has confirmed her order. Have you?!
Pledge Manager Closing Soon
With manufacturing just a few months away, it’s time to start locking in orders through the Pledge Manager. This step helps us confirm the exact quantities we need to produce and ensures a smooth shipping process.
If you haven’t finalized your order yet, now is the time! We’ll be sending out Completion Reminders and Final Notices next week, so you’ll have a heads-up before your order is locked and your payment method is charged.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us at [email protected].
The More You Know!
Tariff Talk – How It Affects Us (and You!)
Some of you have asked how the new tariffs are impacting us, so we wanted to take a moment to break it down and explain why it matters.
The short version? These tariffs hit small publishers like us hard. Unlike what some might assume, tariffs aren’t paid by the country they target—they’re paid by businesses importing goods. That means every time we bring a product into the U.S., we’re charged a percentage of the manufacturing cost. In some cases, we even get hit with the tariff twice—once when it enters the U.S. and again when we ship it to a fulfillment center in Canada.
A predictable tariff isn’t the problem—we typically account for a tariff of less than 10% when pricing our games, adjusting factors like art and production costs to keep the MSRP reasonable. The real problem arises when tariffs suddenly change or spike dramatically. Overnight increases can throw off all of our carefully planned budgets, making games unexpectedly expensive to produce and even unprofitable once they’ve already been manufactured and shipped.
Some might suggest manufacturing in the U.S. as a solution, but unfortunately, that’s not an option—there simply aren’t factories here capable of producing board games at the same level of quality. Even if such facilities were built, they’d likely be booked solid by larger publishers, leaving little room for smaller companies like ours.
What does this mean for us? For now, we’re absorbing the extra costs, sacrificing profit margins to keep our games from increasing in price. But there may come a point where we need to raise prices in order to continue investing in future art, game development, and our team. If you're one of our backers, there's not much to worry about—your prices are locked in. But we’re sharing this because we want you to know that these policy changes have very real consequences for small businesses like ours. If this resonates with you, feel free to share our story as an example of how trade policies impact independent publishers.
And to those who’ve reached out with concern—thank you. Your support means everything to us!
That’s it for now! Thanks for being part of this journey with us and get excited for the next stage of the project!
