Love board games? Let’s talk boardgames, lots of board gaming (and a few RPGs). Tabletop Bellhop, your cardboard concierge, is here to answer your gaming and game night questions, helping you make your game nights better with tabletop game reviews and advice.
We answer a couple of questions about our opinions on theme in board games, and give examples of games where the theme helped, hurt, or didn’t matter at all.
We also talk about our recent game plays, including first thoughts on Hedge Mage, Return To Dark Tower, Doomlings, A Place for All My Books, and Unmatched Lee Vs Ali.
Plus a rare preview, String Theory, and two game reviews, one much more thematic than the other, Cats Knocking Things off Ledges and Cats Vs Cucumbers.
Tabletop Bellhop Gaming Podcast Episode 311 was recorded on August 12th, 2026. Episodes are recorded live on Wednesdays at 8 PM Eastern at https://www.twitch.tv/tabletopbellhop
We usually try to record Wednesdays at 8 PM Eastern at https://www.twitch.tv/tabletopbellhop
Find full detailed show notes at https://tabletopbellhop.com/111
Disclosure: Links may be affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Games mentioned may be review copies provided by publishers.
(00:00:00) CHECK-IN
(00:02:38) Announcements
(00:03:21) Ask The Bellhop
(00:44:12) The Bellhop’s Tabletop
(01:25:27) The Game Room – Preview – String Theory
Sign up to be notified when the String Theory Kickstarter goes live: https://launch.tessellationgames.com/?ref=tabletopbellhop
Check out other games from Tesselation Games LLC: https://www.tessellationgames.com/?ref=tabletopbellhop
Check out our other Preview content: https://tabletopbellhop.com/search/?q=preview
(01:44:55) The Game Room – Cats Knocking Things Off Ledges
Pick up Cats Knocking Things off Ledges: https://amzn.to/4qhgl4h
Visit The Ops’ Amazon Storefront: https://amzn.to/4wqJg7f
We’ve reviewed a lot of games from The Op, check it out: https://tabletopbellhop.com/search/?q=the%20o p
(01:52:03) The Game Room – Cats vs Cucumbers
Pick up Cats Vs. Cucumbers on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4zmgVBL
Check out the Envy Born Games Amazon Storefront: https://amzn.to/4geN3yv
Check out Levity games on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/LevityGames
Check our our other Envy Born Games Content: https://tabletopbellhop.com/search/?q=envy%20born
(01:58:02) Closing the Doors
Send feedback to moe@tabletopbellhop.comdeanna@tabletopbellhop.com or sean@tabletopbellhop.com
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We answer a couple of questions about our opinions on theme in board games, and give examples of games where the theme helped, hurt, or didn’t matter at all.
We also talk about our recent game plays, including first thoughts on Hedge Mage, Return To Dark Tower, Doomlings, A Place for All My Books, and Unmatched Lee Vs Ali.
Plus a rare preview, String Theory, and two game reviews, one much more thematic than the other, Cats Knocking Things off Ledges and Cats Vs Cucumbers.
Tabletop Bellhop Gaming Podcast Episode 310 was recorded on August 12th, 2026. You can join us when we record live, usually on Wednesdays at 8 PM Eastern on Twitch.
If you’d like to watch the (slightly less edited) video version of this recording you can jump to the bottom of the post.
Disclosure: Some links below are affiliate links. Using these links costs you nothing extra and helps us offset the cost of producing this show. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Most of the games mentioned in this podcast were provided free by publishers, designers, or distributors.
— Announcements — [00:02:38]
- We are on Summer break until Sept 9th.
— Ask The Bellhop: Finding Other Board Gamers — [00:03:21]
Things we reference:
- DC Comics Deck-Building Card Game
- Boop.
- Vinhos Deluxe
- Viticulture Essential Edition
- Distilled
- House of Fado
- Star Wars Rebellion
- Legendary Encounters Alien
- How to Save A World
- One Small Step
- War of the Ring
- Lords of Waterdeep
- Battlestar Galactica
- Jaws
- Fuse
- Skyrockets Festivals of Fire
- Cats Knocking Things Off Ledges
- Nyctophobia
- The Night Cage
- A Place for All My Books
- Chiseled
- String Theory
- Freedom The Underground Railroad
- Jim Henson’s Labyrinth
- Codenames
Send your questions to: questions@tabletopbellhop.com
— The Bellhop’s Tabletop: Board Games We’ve Been Playing— [00:44:12]
- Hedge Mage
- Doomlings (Use BELLHOP to save 10%)
- Doomlings Overlush (Use BELLHOP to save 10%)
- Return to Dark Tower
- Play the original Dark Tower online
- Seeker Chronicles
- A Place for All My Books
- Zenith
- Unmatched: Lee Vs Ali
- Cat Earth
- FlipToons
- Vivo
- 12 Rivers
— Preview of String Theory — [01:25:28]
Put on your tinfoil hat and get ready to make some connections in String Theory, a very quick to learn and thematic game with some cool new things going on from Tesselation Games LLC launching soon on Kickstarter.
- Sign up to be notified when the String Theory Kickstarter goes live
- Check out other games from Tesselation Games LLC
- Check out our other Preview content
— Review of Cats Knocking Things Off Ledges — [01:44:55]
This is a game where you get exactly what the name says. It’s a dexterity game where you place cats on a growing cat tree and knock things off of ledges.
- Pick up Cats Knocking Things Off Ledges
- Visit The Ops’ Amazon Storefront
- Check out our other reviews of games from The Op
— Review of Cats Vs Cucumbers — [01:52:03]
Cats Vs Cucumbers is a silly push your luck dice game. Roll your dice Yahtzee style, trying to get three matching symbols which you use to move your cats into boxes, collect treats or toys, or swipe at the other players’ cats.
- Pick up Cats Vs. Cucumbers on Amazon
- Check out the Envy Born Games Amazon Storefront
- Check our our other Envy Born Games content
—Support our efforts—
If you enjoy our content
- Join the Bellhop Discord.
- Check out our Patreon.
- Shop Tabletop Bellhop merch.
- Buy us a coffee.
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