What is a game vault? It is a thing that gamers want. Role playing gamers. Board gamers. Gamer geeks of many types. A fully built game table can cost thousands of dollars. And I don't mean just a couple thousand. Some tables can run more than $10,000.00. I don't have the budget, or burning desire for such a table. I do however have some minor skills and math ability. During my research into the subject, I came across a cheaper option that anyone can make with some hand tools. I got this great idea from
The Gamer Garage on YouTube. If this is the kind of gaming table you're interested in they can explain it much better than I can. I will have links to resource sites I used at the end of the post.
Everything came in over a couple weeks. First, I received the rails, assembly brackets, handles, roll-in connectors, and the slot covers.
When I ordered the rails they were cut to length so no special tools needed. We quickly assembled the rails and added the handles. This thing is huge! Our dream game vault may be bigger than it needs to be.
We used the cheapest laminate flooring we could get for the surface. This isn't a real tabletop, just a top that goes over my current table so it doesn't need to be really sturdy. This flooring is made of MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard) with the woodgrain surface on top. We did have to do some math and cutting since the surface is wider than one piece of the flooring. It also means we had to buy two boxes instead of one and we had some left over. It wasn't a great waste because I could afford to make cutting errors.
After we assembled the surface, we added the double-sided tape. This is how you keep it all together. If you've assembled the flooring correctly, the tape will make sure it stays in place. Next we placed the rails on top, pulled the backing from the tape and stuck it all down. That makes it sound super simple but it really took some time to make sure it was as centered as possible. I used leftover cuts from the flooring to suspend the rails while I removed the tape backing. Then, we walked around the perimeter to make sure it was stuck down.
Then we picked it up and carried it into the dining room. What you don't see is a piece of shelf liner that runs diagonally across the top of the table before the game vault is set on top. This prevents it from sliding on the table surface. This is also when I trimmed the slot covers and installed them. It is really stable and should survive gaming.
The final step was to add a neoprene topper from Game Toppers. This is the Mycroft, measuring 48" by 72". A huge surface that should suit any board game we play. Yes, my chairs are mismatched. That's okay.
Here it is on our first game night with the game vault. We played a couple rounds of Marvel United and it was great.
Special thanks to
The Game Garage for setting us on this path. They did the initial legwork to make this a quick and easy project. Go watch their video to get links to all the things.
Sources:
Tools and supplies (affiliate links):
The Marvel United game mat is an extra that you may be able to find at your local game shop. Support your local game shop.
