Board Game Table Vaults Explained: Depth, Size & Design

The recessed playing area is one of the defining features of a board game table but choosing the right vault involves more than simply deciding how deep it should be.

A well-designed gaming vault gives dice, cards, miniatures and game components a dedicated playing surface while allowing the table to serve another purpose when the game is over. Add removable dining toppers, and an unfinished campaign or game can remain protected below while the table becomes a functional dining or everyday surface.

But vault depth affects more than the appearance of a table.

It can influence player comfort, reach, clearance for miniatures, dining topper design, drawer storage and even the overall proportions of the furniture.

After more than 25 years as a carpenter and years of designing and building custom gaming tables, I have found that the best vault is rarely the deepest one possible. It is the one designed as part of the entire table.

If you're beginning to plan a table of your own, our complete guide to custom board game tables provides a broader look at the decisions involved in choosing a custom gaming table.

What Is a Board Game Table Vault?

The gaming vault is the recessed playing area located below the armrests or rails of a board game table.

Instead of playing directly on the dining surface, games are played inside this dedicated area, typically on a softer gaming surface.

At Western Pride Woodworks, I normally use a neoprene gaming mat supported directly by a solid plywood substrate.

The recessed design provides several advantages.

Dice and game components are less likely to leave the table. Cards are easier to pick up from a slightly cushioned surface. Players can lean against a substantial solid-wood rail, and an in-progress game can potentially remain below removable dining toppers.

This is one of the fundamental differences between a purpose-built gaming table and a conventional dining table, which we explore further in Board Game Tables Vs Dining Tables Whats The Difference

How Deep Should a Board Game Table Vault Be?

There is no single vault depth that is perfect for every gaming table.

At Western Pride Woodworks, however, I typically build gaming vaults approximately 4 inches deep.

That dimension has worked well across many of the custom tables I have built, but I don't believe a gaming-table builder should simply choose a number and apply it to every project.

The right depth needs to be considered alongside:

• the table's overall dimensions
• rail width
• player reach
• the types of games being played
• miniature and terrain height
• dining topper clearance
• apron proportions
• drawer and storage requirements

A gaming table should be designed as a complete piece of furniture. Changing one dimension can affect several others.

Why I Typically Build a Vault Around 4 Inches Deep

One of the reasons behind my approximately 4-inch vault depth is surprisingly simple:

proportion.

My gaming-table rails are typically around 1⅞ inches thick, and the solid-wood construction immediately below them that creates the vault is approximately the same thickness.

Keeping these components similar in proportion produces a table that looks intentional rather than having the vault depth dictated by an arbitrary measurement.

The resulting vault also happens to provide a practical depth for the kinds of gaming tables I regularly build.

Most of my tables fall somewhere around 40 to 48 inches in overall width, and I have found approximately four inches of depth to be comfortable in this range.

That doesn't mean four inches is a universal rule.

A custom table should ultimately be designed for the people who will actually use it.

Vault Depth and Player Reach

This is an important consideration that can easily be overlooked.

A deeper gaming vault isn't automatically a better gaming vault.

Every additional inch of depth means players must reach farther downward when moving pieces, retrieving cards or interacting with the centre of the playing surface.

Table width compounds the issue.

Someone playing at a relatively narrow table has a very different reach requirement than someone sitting at an exceptionally wide gaming table.

Player height and arm length matter too, which is why I am reluctant to give people a universal maximum table width based solely on ergonomics.

Most Western Pride gaming tables I build are approximately 40–48 inches wide, and this range has worked very well with my typical vault configuration.

For a much more detailed discussion of overall table dimensions, see Board Game Table Sizes Explained. If your room itself is the limiting factor, I've also written a dedicated guide to  Board Game Tables for Small Spaces.

Outside Table Dimensions vs. Actual Gaming Space

This is one of the most important things to understand when shopping for a board game table.

The outside dimensions of a gaming table are not the dimensions of its playing surface.

When I quote a Western Pride table as being 72 inches long by 48 inches wide, for example, those measurements describe the outside dimensions of the finished table.

I do this deliberately.

A client needs to know exactly how much physical space the piece of furniture will occupy in their room.

The armrests or rails then occupy part of those dimensions.

My rails are typically approximately 5½ to 6 inches wide.

As a simplified example, a 48-inch-wide table with 6-inch rails on each side leaves approximately:

48" overall width

– 6" rail
– 6" rail

= approximately 36" of interior width

The precise finished playing area depends on the individual design and construction of the table, but this simple calculation demonstrates why you should never assume that a 48-inch-wide gaming table provides a 48-inch-wide gaming surface.

This becomes particularly important when choosing a table for games with large boards, extensive terrain or multiple player areas.

An 84 × 48-inch board game table with 6-inch rails provides an approximate 72 × 36-inch usable gaming vault.

Miniatures and Terrain Change the Equation

Players of miniature-heavy games need to consider another measurement entirely:

vertical clearance.

If you intend to leave a game set up underneath your dining toppers, measure the tallest objects you expect to leave in the vault.

That might include:

• miniatures
• terrain
• buildings
• scenery
• card holders
• token trays
• other three-dimensional game components

Games such as Warhammer can have very different requirements from traditional board games.

You don't want to discover after the table has been built that your favourite miniature or piece of terrain is taller than the available space underneath the toppers.

For miniature gaming specifically, our Warhammer Tables page is a great resource

Vault Depth and Dining Topper Clearance Are Not the Same Thing

Here's a distinction I think prospective gaming-table owners should understand:

Vault depth and usable clearance underneath the dining toppers are two different measurements.

On my typical tables, the dining topper system provides approximately ¼ inch more clearance than the nominal vault depth.

That means a table with an approximately 4-inch gaming vault will generally provide around 4¼ inches of clearance from the gaming surface to the underside of the topper system.

That extra space may seem small until you're trying to leave an elaborate game set up underneath the table.

This is why I recommend discussing what you actually play with your table builder rather than simply requesting a particular vault depth.

Why Dining Topper Construction Matters

Dining toppers appear simple from the outside.

They're not.

A large solid-wood panel naturally responds to changes in environmental conditions. Proper topper construction therefore has to consider alignment, stability, movement, protection of the table's finish and how the panels locate on the table.

On my tables, I build mitred returns into the ends of the topper panels. In addition to forming part of the system that securely registers the toppers with the table, those returns help the panels remain straight as the solid wood naturally responds to seasonal changes.

The topper system is also designed so that the panels cannot simply slide sideways off the table.

And rather than allowing one finished wooden surface to sit directly against another, I incorporate a thin neoprene barrier between the topper system and the finished rails.

These aren't necessarily features someone notices when looking at a photograph of a gaming table.

But they're exactly the kinds of details that become important after years of actually using one.

That philosophy extends throughout our work and is one of the reasons I believe there is such a significant difference between genuinely custom furniture and furniture that simply offers a list of predetermined options. You can read more about that distinction in Workshop Note 004 – What Custom Built Really Means

Can You Leave a Game Set Up Under the Dining Top?

In many cases, absolutely.

In fact, this is one of my favourite practical advantages of a gaming vault.

Instead of dismantling a game because the table is needed for dinner, the components can remain inside the recessed playing area and the dining toppers can be installed above them.

But there is an important condition:

Everything must fit within the available vertical clearance.

For conventional board games, this may be quite easy.

For campaigns involving tall miniatures, buildings or elaborate terrain, it deserves considerably more thought.

If preserving games underneath the dining surface is important to you, tell your builder what you play before the table is designed.

A custom table should adapt to the way you use it  not force you to adapt to the table.

How Vault Depth Affects Drawer Storage

This is another relationship that isn't always obvious when designing a gaming table.

Your gaming vault and your drawers are competing for vertical space.

On many Western Pride gaming tables, I use an approximately 4-inch apron.

With my typical rail and vault construction, that configuration can accommodate approximately a 2-inch-deep drawer.

If the design of the gaming vault changes substantially, the available space for drawer storage can change with it.

That's why requests such as:

“I'd like a much deeper vault and deep storage drawers”

need to be considered together rather than as independent features.

There may be a perfectly good way to accomplish both, but it can affect the proportions and construction of the entire table.

This is one of the advantages of designing a table from scratch rather than choosing features from a predetermined catalogue. Our guide to What Features Should a Custom Board Game Table Have? covers more of the decisions worth considering during this stage.

What About Rail Width?

Vault depth receives plenty of attention, but rail width is just as important to the experience of using a gaming table.

My typical rails are approximately 5½ to 6 inches wide.

A substantial rail gives players a comfortable place to rest their arms and provides space around the playing area, but wider rails also reduce the usable vault dimensions for any given outside table size.

Again, everything is connected.

Increase the rail width and you reduce the playing area unless the entire table becomes larger.

Make the entire table wider and you potentially increase the distance players need to reach.

Make the vault substantially deeper and you add another dimension to that reach.

There isn't one perfect combination for every person.

Good gaming-table design is about balancing those relationships.

Is a Deeper Board Game Table Vault Better?

Not necessarily.

It's easy to assume that if a four-inch vault is useful, a six-inch vault must be even better.

But furniture design doesn't work that way.

A deeper vault may provide additional vertical containment or clearance depending on the design, but it may also:

• increase the distance players reach downward
• change the visual proportions of the table
• affect apron design
• influence available drawer space
• require other structural changes

The goal shouldn't be to build the deepest gaming vault possible.

The goal should be to build the right vault for the table and the people using it.

This is also why I encourage buyers to think beyond feature lists when comparing gaming tables. The Complete Buyer's Guide to Custom Board Game Tables explains many of the other decisions that should be considered together.

Designing a Vault Around the Games You Actually Play

When I'm designing a custom board game table, knowing the overall table dimensions is only part of the conversation.

The games themselves can tell us much more.

Someone primarily playing traditional board games may have very different needs from a dedicated Dungeons & Dragons group.

A Warhammer player using substantial terrain has different requirements again.

A couple playing mostly two-player games may not need an enormous vault at all.

That's why one of the best things you can do before ordering a custom gaming table is make a simple list:

What games do we play now?

How many people usually play?

What is the largest game we regularly play?

Do we use miniatures or tall terrain?

Do we want to leave games set up underneath the dining top?

Do we want drawers or other integrated storage?

Does the table also need to function as our everyday dining table?

Frequently Asked Questions About Board Game Table Vaults

How deep should a board game table vault be?

There is no universal ideal depth. Western Pride Woodworks typically builds gaming vaults approximately 4 inches deep, which has provided a good balance of proportion and usability across many of our custom tables. The appropriate depth should also consider table width, player reach, topper clearance, game components and storage requirements.

What is the difference between vault depth and topper clearance?

Vault depth describes the recessed playing area, while topper clearance describes the vertical space available between the gaming surface and the underside of the installed dining topper. On our typical tables, a roughly 4-inch vault provides approximately 4¼ inches of clearance beneath the topper system.

Can I leave my board game set up under the dining topper?

Usually, yes, provided every component fits within the available vertical clearance. This is especially important for games involving tall miniatures, terrain or buildings.

Are deeper gaming vaults better?

Not automatically. Greater depth can also increase downward reach, change the proportions of the table and affect other features such as apron and drawer design. Vault depth should be considered as part of the complete table.

How wide should board game table rails be?

Western Pride Woodworks typically uses rails approximately 5½ to 6 inches wide. The appropriate width depends on the overall table design, desired playing area and player comfort.

How much playing area does a board game table have?

The usable playing area is smaller than the table's outside dimensions because the rails occupy part of the overall width and length. For example, a simplified 48-inch-wide table with 6-inch rails on both sides would leave approximately 36 inches between those rails. Exact dimensions depend on the table's construction.

Can a gaming table have both a recessed vault and drawers?

Yes. However, both features occupy vertical space within the table. On many Western Pride tables, an approximately 4-inch apron combined with our typical vault construction allows for approximately 2-inch-deep drawers. Different vault or storage requirements may require changes to the overall design.

What vault depth is best for Warhammer and miniature games?

Rather than choosing vault depth based only on the type of game, consider the height of your tallest miniatures and terrain especially if you want to leave them set up beneath dining toppers. The available vertical clearance can be more important than the nominal vault depth itself.

A Board Game Table Should Be Designed Around You

There is no single set of dimensions that makes the perfect gaming table.

Your room, your games, your players and the way the furniture will be used should determine the design.

That's why every Western Pride Woodworks board game table is individually designed and handcrafted from solid hardwood rather than built around a fixed catalogue of configurations.

If you're considering having one built, explore our Custom Board Game Tables Canada to see our tables, options and approach to custom design.

Have a table in mind?

Tell me about your room, the games you play, how many people normally gather around the table and the features you've been considering.