Indie Board Game Break-Even Analysis: $167K Monthly Revenue

Fixed costs $12.6K/mo Payroll plus overhead

Contribution margin 81% After variable costs

Break-even revenue $15.6K/mo Revenue target

Break-even timing Month 13 First profit month

Break-even calculator

Use this calculator to test whether monthly sales cover direct costs and fixed overhead, and where break-even lands.

Lean Base Full

Monthly revenue Use the sales you expect to collect each month before direct costs. $ Low sales High sales Variable expenses Use costs that rise with sales, like fees, promo, and per-unit production. $ Low costs High costs

Money available to cover fixed costs $62,098 $80,611 revenue - $18,513 variable expenses

Margin ratio

77%

Covers fixed costs

Yes

Fixed monthly costs Use monthly overhead the business pays even when sales slow. $ Light overhead Heavy overhead

Break-even chart Revenue Total costs

Which board game expenses stay fixed, and which move with sales?

Cost classification

Break-even is only reliable when fixed overhead is separated from costs that rise with units or revenue. Here, Month 13 break-even depends on treating royalties, platform fees, production, freight, and fulfillment as volume-linked inputs.

Expense	Cost	Break-Even Treatment	Common Mistake
Office Rent	Fixed	Use $1,500/month in fixed overhead from Month 1 through Month 60.	Allocating rent per game and making break-even look too low at higher unit volume.
Legal & Accounting	Fixed	Use $500/month as recurring fixed overhead across the planning period.	Dropping it after launch even though the model treats it as monthly operating spend.
Designer Royalties	Variable	Apply 3.0% of revenue, so the expense rises directly with sales dollars.	Modeling royalties as a flat monthly fee instead of a revenue percentage.
Crowdfunding Platform Fees	Variable	Apply 5.0% of revenue in the first year, then use the lower annual rates in later years.	Forgetting platform fees when testing whether a campaign can break even.
Printing & Punchboards	Variable	Use the per-unit amount by title, such as $2.00 per unit for the first game line.	Treating production as fixed overhead instead of scaling it with units produced.
Per-Unit Freight & Customs	Variable	Use the per-unit amount by title, such as $1.00 per unit for the first game line.	Putting inbound freight into fixed overhead and hiding margin pressure.
Travel & Convention Budget	Semi-variable	Start with the $300/month base, then add event-driven spend when booth activity increases.	Treating every convention push as fixed even when spend follows launch activity.
Payroll Capacity	Semi-fixed	Model staffing in steps: founder plus 0.5 operations manager in the first year, then larger teams later.	Smoothing headcount as a percent of sales instead of adding real salary steps.

How does break-even shift from a lean launch to a full five-title tabletop line?

Scenario table

Lean stays tight because Year 1 revenue is low and payroll hits early. Two titles in Year 2 raise contribution enough to clear break-even, and five titles in Year 5 add more cushion, though support and inventory risk rise.

Planning assumptions only; actual results will move with mix, print runs, and timing.

Scenario	Monthly Revenue	Variable Costs	Fixed Costs	CM Ratio	Operating Profit	Break-Even Signal
Lean launch	$15.0k	$3.7k	$11.7k	75.5%	-$0.4k	Losses remain; break-even is still ahead.
Base launch	$42.1k	$10.0k	$14.1k	76.2%	$18.0k	Break-even is cleared, with a small cushion.
Full launch	$150.8k	$32.1k	$14.8k	78.7%	$103.8k	Strong cushion, but more titles add support risk.

What can push this board game business past break-even?

Stress test

The plan clears break-even only if Year 1 sales stay near $167k a month. A 10% demand dip, higher freight or fulfillment costs, or a $20k monthly overhead jump can widen the gap fast.

Stress Case	Changed Assumption	Break-Even Revenue	Revenue Gap	Risk Signal
Current plan	Year 1 revenue averages about $150k a month.	$167k/month	$17k gap	Launch sales sit below break-even.
Revenue shortfall	Sales run 10% below plan, to about $135k a month.	$167k/month	$32k gap	Late preorder demand widens the hole.
Fixed-cost pressure	Monthly overhead rises by $20k.	$194k/month	$44k gap	Rent, payroll, or admin creep can outrun sales.
Margin pressure	Unit costs rise by $200 from manufacturing, freight, or fulfillment.	$175k/month	$25k gap	Freight quote jumps or slow fulfillment squeeze margin.
Combined pressure	Sales fall 10%, margin drops 5 points, and fixed spend rises $20k a month.	$186k/month	$51k gap	Multiple misses can erase the launch cushion.

Can the first print run clear break-even before you lock inventory?

Founder checklist

Test the first print run, launch spend, and hiring plan against the model before you commit. At about 279 units a month and a $12.6K monthly fixed load, the business only works if demand, margin, and cash all hold.

1Demand Proof279 units/mo

Verify the market can absorb about 279 units a month at roughly $59.99, because that is the pace needed to cover the current fixed load.

2Contribution75.5% CM

Verify the $6.00 unit stack, plus royalties, platform fees, and marketing, still leaves about 75.5% contribution margin; if not, the 279-unit target climbs.

3Fixed Load$12.6K/mo

Keep recurring overhead near $12.6K a month; that is the fixed coverage the plan has to beat before profit shows up.

4Staffing Ramp0.5 FTE

Keep the operations manager at 0.5 FTE in Year 1 and add marketing payroll in Year 2 only after sell-through is real.

5Cash Buffer$1.173M

Check that you can hold at least $1.173M in Month 2, because that is the model’s lowest cash point and a shortfall there breaks the launch.

6Seed Stock$20K

Review the $20K initial inventory seed stock against sell-through before you order, and keep convention, booth, and warehouse commitments off the table until demand proves out.