Tinkerhouse Games

CREATOR

3 months ago

Project Update: 56 - First Round at the Vault of Mini Things Organization & Use Guide

Hey all,

This is a post dedicated to the organization and use of the Vault. I would love to get your feedback in the replys below on how we can make this more informative. Let me know if I've missed anything. I'm embedded in this, and therefore my perspective from the inside is skewed. I tend to miss the obvious things like an Organization & Use Guide. Your feedback and assistance is greatly appreciated for that very reason.

Vault of Mini Things Organization & Use Guide

The Vault of Mini Things is designed as a complete, modular system. Proper setup ensures fast encounter prep, smooth play, and easy end-of-session cleanup. This guide walks you through initial organization and best practices for use at the table.

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PART 1: INITIAL SETUP & ORGANIZATION

1. Punching Out Components
Standees, props, base inserts, and map tiles are made from thick cardstock. Terrain pieces such as walls, rocks, and tree groupings are made from sturdy chipboard. Some standee sheets share the same cut tooling. These can be punched out together to save time. Map tiles are all pre-punched.

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2. Standee Categories & Tabs
Each standee includes a color-coded tab that indicates its category. These tabs are essential to the Vault’s organization system.

Standees should be sorted:

By category (tab color)
By identification code

Each standee is labeled using the format:

[ CAT L ### ]

CAT: Category abbreviation
L: First letter of the standee name
###: Sequential number

Some numbers are intentionally skipped. These gaps are reserved for future expansion packs and are expected.

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3. Sleeving & Card Catalog Organization
Sleeving Standees

Sleeve standees together with matching identification codes.
With similar characters feel free to mix different codes in the same sleeve.
Some larger standees will not fit into sleeves.

Sorting with Card Catalog Tabs
Use the included card catalog dividers to organize sleeved standees in order by identification code.

Sort sleeved standees into the four large card boxes as follows:

Box 1: Heroes
Box 2: Foes
Box 3: Monsters / Undead / Planar
Box 4: Animals / NPCs / Other

Oversized Standees
Huge and oversized standees that do not fit into sleeves should be stored in one of the large trays instead of the card boxes.

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4. Props, Sessions & Locations

Props are made from cardstock and fit into standee bases.
Props, along with the Sessions and Locations tabs, should be sorted into the two smaller card boxes.
These boxes are intended for quick table access during play.

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5. Bases, Base Inserts & Dice Tray
Bases do not require assembly. Base inserts (terrain pogs) can be sorted by terrain type.
Under the dice roller tray is a dedicated tray for:

Standee bases
Wall connection pillars

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6. Terrain Pieces & Wall Storage

Terrain Materials

Terrain pieces such as rocks and tree groupings are made from chipboard.
Village and Dungeon walls are also chipboard and use plastic connection pillars.

Trays

Map tiles can all be stored together in one large tray.
There are custom trays designed specifically for Village and Dungeon walls.
Half-width trays should be crisscrossed in the box to prevent them from nesting into each other.

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7. Door Walls & Door Cards

Walls with door openings ship with a temporary cardstock insert in the door opening.
Door cards are meant to slide into this opening.
A small packet includes a clear plastic tool intended to push out the cardstock insert.
This tool is finicky.

Recommended method:

Use a pair of tweezers.
Gently pull the insert upward from the top of the wall.
Do not force the insert out from the front or bottom.

This is a delicate process and will be improved in future printings.

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PART 2: USING THE VAULT DURING PLAY

1. Deploying Standees
When removing standees during play:

Pull the sleeved standees you need.
Reinsert the empty sleeve vertically into the card box.

This acts as a placeholder so you can quickly return the standee to the correct location at the end of the session.

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2. Using Walls & Connection Pillars
Always insert walls into the connection pillars from the top.

The compression fit is located near the base of the pillar.
To remove a wall, pull it straight up out of the pillar.
Do not twist or pry walls sideways, as this can damage the edges.

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3. Bases & Terrain Inserts
Insert terrain base inserts into the bases using the flat edge as a guide.

Slide standees into bases.
Bases are designed for repeated use with minimal wear when handled correctly.

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PART 3: EXPANSIONS & CUSTOM CONFIGURATIONS

Expansion Compatibility
All expansions use the same tray and organization system as the Vault.
Expansion standees integrate naturally into existing categories and numbering.

Additional Trays
Up to three additional full-height trays can be added to the Vault. When additional trays are added, the box lid will sit higher.
This allows you to customize the Vault for:

Different campaigns
Session types
Terrain-heavy or creature-heavy play

You can swap tray configurations depending on what your next session requires.

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Design Intent
The Vault is not meant to be perfectly rigid. It is meant to be:

Fast
Forgiving
Expandable
Easy to maintain even at the end of a long session

If you follow the category, tab, and tray system, everything has a home—and finding it again should never be a chore.

And that's all the bacon for now. Let us know what you think?

Onward,
Mike, Lane, Chris, and Marshall

20

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