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On the Toad's Desk: Sand & Sandwiches | Game Design at Terror Toad

  • 2 min read

AUGUST 2026


Pull up a lily pad; it's time for another wee update from the Toad table.


We're in one of those wonderfully messy stretches of game design where things are being made, tested, painted, abandoned, reconsidered, and occasionally covered in sand.


So, here's what we've been up to.


A desk at Toad HQ. there's a cutting mat, a sketchbook labelled "Whitefroth art", cans of energy drink, a cup of tea in a mug that says "I'm an artist, bitch", biscuits, paper, and the edge of an open laptop
on the Toad's desk: hydration is key

 

Whitefroth, Our Island Horror TTRPG, Is (Still) Cooking


We know, we know. We keep mentioning Whitefroth, and it's still not sitting on the shop shelf. Here's the thing: the reason it's taking a while is also the reason our excitement for the project has been growing and growing. Whitefroth has to look worth the wait, not just play well.


So instead of picking one art style and running with it, we've gone and picked about four.


Chris has been working digitally, building out the more graphic side of things. Katie has been drawing and painting by hand - brushes, ink, mess. There's photography going into it too. And, in probably the most "us" development yet, we've been pouring sand onto a scanner bed to see what happens. Apparently, that's how you make an island horror game.


It's slow. It is genuinely time-consuming to build a world out of that many different techniques, all stitched together into one coherent thing. But every time we lay a new piece next to the others, it's clicking in a way that makes the project feel worth it. This one's shaping up to be the most visually interesting thing we've made.


It's coming. We promise it's coming.


 

Meanwhile: We've Started Drawing a Lot of Sandwiches


As a palette cleanser from the heaviness of RPG writing, we've somehow ended up on a completely different tangent: sandwiches. Specifically, drawing them over and over. We’ve got them earmarked for a wee game project, so can’t say much more than that for now; just know that if you follow us and suddenly see an unreasonable number of sandwich illustrations appear, we’ve not been hacked and it’s all part of a thing.


Yes, sometimes game design is deep worldbuilding and complicated rules, but sometimes it's just drawing sandwiches. Now I’m hungry.



 two different projects, two very different art approaches



Tabletop Scotland 2026 Is Coming Up


In a few weeks we'll be packing up the car again for Tabletop Scotland, which as always, we're really looking forward to.


If you're heading along, come and say hello! We'll be the ones near a big toad banner and hopefully not looking too sleep-deprived. Speaking of which - the old Terror Toad t-shirts were looking a bit sorry for themselves, so new ones have been ordered. Small detail, but there's something nice about turning up to an event not looking like you fought a printer and lost.

 


So, what is happening at Terror Toad HQ this August?


Paint. Sand. Sand on paint. Sand on scanners. Sand everywhere, probably. Sandwiches. Cards. RPG writing. A convention on the horizon.


And as usual, a rather large number of ideas fighting for attention.

 

More soon! 🐸


Katie & Chris


Team Toad x


 

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Knackered but Happy: Terror Toad at UK Games Expo 2026

  • 3 min read

JUNE 2026


Team Toad trundled back up to Scotland after a very lovely weekend at the UK Games Expo 2026.


After getting home late, we unloaded the car the next morning, headed straight into Glasgow for a Jeff Goldblum concert (which was excellent, by the way), and eventually managed to get some proper rest. I'm still a bit sleepy now, but having posted another game this morning, sent out a few feelers for future plans, and collected more RPG feedback (thanks, Jordan!), it's fair to say Chris and I are very much ready to get back to creating things.



 


Thank You


As always, we'd love to give a wee shoutout to all the attendees who came along, bought a game, or simply stopped by for a chat. You all helped make the weekend worthwhile. 😊


Saturday was particularly exciting, as we smashed our previous daily sales record (yesss!). As a small indie business, moments like that mean a lot. Every game sold helps us keep creating new things, and we're genuinely grateful to everyone who chose to take a Terror Toad game home with them.


If you picked up one of our games, please let us know if you enjoyed it!

 


Friends Old and New


Neither of us managed to make our full way around all five halls of the NEC in Birmingham, but the fair chunk that we did see was packed with delightful games, goodies, and people.


It was brilliant to spend the weekend next to our neighbours at Parthax Industries, and catch up with all the lovely folk at RookHart Games, Gamze's Games, Heartborn Studios, Lucky Fox, Roll Mighty, Dream Big Games, Knightly Gaming, Onebold Studios, and World Domination (phew!).


We also had the pleasure of meeting Loose Jaw Games, Games Night with the Dunhams, Listen in Silent Mode, The Gamer's Emporium, and Wayfarer's League for the first time.


There are definitely people we've forgotten to mention, and others we hoped to see but didn't quite manage to find amongst the madness. If we missed you, please know it wasn't intentional, and we hope you all had a fantastic weekend and a safe journey home. ❤️

 


The Sixth Doctor and Other Important Matters


On Sunday, we discovered that Colin Baker was appearing in the very same hall as us.


Terror Toad is, at heart, a deeply Whovian business, so naturally we had to go and say hello.


We're delighted to report that Colin Baker is every bit as lovely as we'd hoped, and Chris behaved himself admirably by not asking a million questions about the Valeyard. A true display of restraint.


 



Rain Frogs, Ducks, and Other Important Discoveries


Our friends at Lucky Fox are now making rain frogs, which means we finally have our very own actual Terror Toad! Thank you so much guys! We'll post a picture when he's painted in his full glory.


We also need to give a special mention to Duck Man.

Whoever you are. Wherever you are.

Thank you for our ducks.

 

Our toad on our banner with a pigeon for scale
He's a big toad now (pigeon for scale)


The Rise of the Toad


Perhaps our biggest takeaway from this year's Expo was the Toad himself. Our new banner featured him at his biggest size yet, and he received an incredible amount of love throughout the weekend.


Over, and over, and over again we heard: "You need to put him in a game!"


We may just have to make that happen.👀

 








That's all from us for now.


We'll be heading back to spooky drawings and flipping cards for the foreseeable. We’re looking forward to sharing the new stuff when the time is right.


Until then, keep croaking and creating. ❤️

 

Katie

Team Toad x



P.S.


Outside UKGE news, I'm so pleased to tell you all that our games are now officially stocked by Noble Knight Games! Pleasure to work with you, team!


Catch you all next time. 😎


 

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A Season of Making at Terror Toad | Checking in and a Glimpse Behind the Scenes

  • 2 min read

APRIL 2026


The first official year of Terror Toad as a renewed business has passed, and, well, for a change we’re not chasing our tails!


As the end of 2025 was kind to the Toad, the business has had a very chill first quarter of this year; wrapping up one of our big to-dos, making artwork (my favourite thing), and visiting ideas old and new, in all honesty quite a gentle fashion.


cards face down ready to be revealed as we test another idea
a whole lot of card flipping

 

Still Croaking Along


Yes, sometimes a small business is pressure or stress, but lately, ours has been a joyful and welcoming distraction from the other things life can throw at you, and for that, we are very grateful.


I thought it would be timely to send a little update – even if there’s no big announcements happening quite yet. Just to say we’re still here, croaking away in the background, making the most of this era of play and experimentation.


 

A Glimpse Behind the Scenes at Terror Toad


While you’re here, please take a gander at some of our recent art-making in progress!


Yes, a spooky TTRPG is coming along, and I will tell you all about that, and the tale of its creation, when the time is right.



 

Thank You for Playtesting


I also wanted to say a big thank you to all those who have been testing and reading our RPG for us.


A couple of months ago we put feelers out for some knowledgeable folks to help us out, – and we delighted at responses so far! I’ve never been so pleased to hear an enthusiastic proof-reader declare their self-diagnosed “red-marker syndrome”.


Your feedback is helping us shape this thing just the way we needed.


 

What Else We’re Working On


Behind the scenes, a few things are starting to take shape.


We’ve been exploring new ways to get our games out into the wider world, which has meant some number-crunching and careful planning on our end. We’re in the cusp of another new shop collaboration, which is always exciting for us.


At the same time, another project has been quietly demanding our attention; one that involves a lot of card flipping, re-counting, and predicting how things come together at the table.


It’s still early days, so we’ll keep the details under wraps for now, but it’s been a really fun one to wrestle with.

 

 

Until Next Time


That’s all for now - a small check-in from a slightly quieter corner of the tabletop world.


I’m sure more chaos will find its way to us soon!


Until then, we’ll be making, testing, scribbling, and carefully bringing new ideas to life.


Till next time, friends.

 

Katie


Team Toad x

 

 

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