How does order fulfillment work at Golden Spike Games?

Updated

Golden Spike Games handles fulfillment for Deep Thought Games (DTG), and it runs two separate order streams: direct orders placed with Golden Spike Games, and older orders sitting in the Deep Thought Games queue. Direct orders are fulfilled first. Games still in the DTG queue wait until all direct, premium orders are done, and prices on those queued orders may need to be adjusted when they are finally reached because material costs keep rising.

The two order streams

Order type Who you place it with When it ships
Direct order Golden Spike Games Before anything in the DTG queue
DTG queue order Originally Deep Thought Games Only after all direct orders are fulfilled

Golden Spike Games has been helping DTG fill orders since 2009 and took on direct orders in 2014. Deep Thought Games is not currently taking new orders, so new buyers go through Golden Spike Games directly.

What you can order

Golden Spike Games offers direct orders of most of the Deep Thought Games catalog. The exceptions are 1817 and 18MEX, which are handled by All-Aboard Games.

The games are identical to those Deep Thought Games produced in the past, with upgrades such as quad-fold boards.

Pricing on queued orders

Prices on the Deep Thought Games site have never been adjusted. Golden Spike Games prices reflect adjustments for rising material costs, though those prices have not changed since direct orders began in 2014. The site notes that further adjustment may be needed at some point, and that when the DTG queue is reached, some price adjustment will be necessary because material costs keep rising. In short: a queued order is not locked to the old DTG price forever.

Current shipping status

Recent news on the site (18 Sep 2026) says shipping has resumed after a break. Games are ready to ship for all but two orders in the queue, and those two are the ones containing 10+ games. If you have an order in the queue, you should receive an invoice within the next week.

Other notes from the news section:

  • The owner plans to retire from a full-time job next spring but intends to keep producing games as long as possible.
  • A cancer screening came back undetectable.
  • Games can be brought for free delivery at TRAXX in Denver (Apr 30–May 3); email with "for TRAXX delivery" in the subject line to arrange it.

What this means for you

  • Ordering now: place a direct order with Golden Spike Games for anything in the DTG catalog except 1817 and 18MEX.
  • Waiting on a DTG queue order: expect an invoice when your order is reached, and expect the price to reflect current material costs rather than the original DTG price.
  • Large orders: orders with 10+ games are the last to be started, so they take longer than smaller ones.