Tinkerhouse Games

CREATOR

15 days ago

Project Update: 35 - Tariffs and Timeline Follow up

Hey Vaulters,

We’re back with another production update! As always, thank you for your patience and continued support as we work to bring The Vault of Mini Things to life. Let’s get into it:

Campaign

First, a quick status update:

We’re still waiting for our manufacturer to complete and send the final white sample for the Vault. While we were hoping to have it in hand by now, this phase is critical—this is where we confirm that everything fits, functions, and meets the quality standards we’ve promised.

We know delays are frustrating. When we last updated, we shared that production had entered the pre-production phase: final engineering, tooling prep, and blank sample verification. While the timeline has slipped again, we’re still moving steadily forward and remain committed to the current plan.

Feature: Bookcases, Doors, and Durable Changes

Behind the scenes, the team has been working through another key round of proofing.

The manufacturer sent back some proposed changes to the door props, but after review, we weren’t thrilled with their edits. We’re pushing back to keep the look and function true to our original designs. This is design/desire vs. functionality/practicality, and we’ll continue to provide updates as we sort out this issue.
Dungeon bookcases also needed minor engineering adjustments. Our factory requested larger connection tabs for long-term durability, so we’ve updated the artwork accordingly. Here’s a preview of the revised bookcases—we’d love to hear what you think!

Feature: About That 3cm…

As we mentioned previously, The Vault includes a lot of components that must be punched out and organized. Until you punch and sort your Vault, the box will ship about 3cm taller than its final packed-down size. This ensures that everything arrives safely and securely. Once organized, the Vault lid will close completely and store neatly on your shelf—yes, it still fits a standard IKEA Kallax!

Feature: From Terrain Trays to Injection-Molded Trays

You may notice a difference from what we originally showed during the campaign:

Early on, we envisioned the Vault using swappable terrain trays for modular organization. After live-play testing, engineering iterations, and feedback from our manufacturing partners, we decided to upgrade to injection-molded plastic trays (top row of image below) and include multiple nested boxes for standee organization instead.

The new trays are custom-fitted to the Vault’s terrain, props, and larger standees.
They’re durable, faster to set up, and easier to re-pack.
We plan to include additional trays in the Terrain Add-on packs so you might get that 3cm or more in box height!

Here are some renders of the updated component trays you’ll be getting:

This move helps ensure long-term durability—something we committed to from the very beginning.

Advocacy: Standing Up for Our Industry

In addition to production work, we’ve been doing something else important behind the scenes:

We’ve joined a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Section 301 tariffs imposed during the Trump administration.

These tariffs—which added as much as 25%–50% in extra taxes to goods made in China—have had a major impact across the tabletop industry. As a small business that designs products here in the U.S. but relies on international manufacturing, these extra taxes threaten not just our margins, but the very ability for small creators to bring products like the Vault to your table.

We’re proud to be standing alongside Stonemaier Games and Princess Awesome & Boy Wonder in this lawsuit, represented by Pacific Legal Foundation.

You can read more about it here: Board Game Company Files Lawsuit Challenging Constitutionality of Trump Tariffs.

This isn’t just about the Vault—it’s about making sure that small creative businesses have a fighting chance to survive and thrive, without being crushed by unconstitutional taxes. We’re fighting not just for us, but for the future of independent gaming, and for everyone who loves to tell stories at the table.

Community

Over the course of this project, we’ve said that our guiding principles are: utility, durability, portability, and beauty. Every adjustment we’ve made—whether it’s delaying shipping, upgrading from terrain trays to molded trays, or reworking art for better function—is in service to those promises.

And standing up against harmful, unconstitutional policies? That’s about protecting the ability to keep building beautiful, useful things for you.

Thank you for being part of this journey with us.

We’re getting closer every day, and we can’t wait to deliver The Vault of Mini Things to your table.

Onward,
Mike, Lane, Chris, and Marshall

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