AUGUST 2026
Imagine your lunch developed adorable survival instincts.
When our hefty TTRPG project, Whitefroth (coming soon), reached the stage of playtesting and proof-reading, it felt like the right time to put our brains on ice for a bit.
A big thinky project like Whitefroth took a lot of thought, and while it was lovely to finally put down the laptop and pick up the sketchbook (well, for me anyway - Chris is a digital artist, so his laptop stayed firmly open, but you get my drift), that didn't mean the game designing stopped. It simply took a different form for a while.
We'd spent quite some time typing and editing. Now it was the turn of flipping and shuffling.
A small but ever-so-fun project for us, here's the story of how Rise of the Living Bread came to be - a memory game, from scribble to table.
Flipping Cards
I mentioned in one of our previous updates the sheer amount of card flipping that was happening for a while. That's where it all started: a full 50 cards turning, shuffling and swapping.
We knew the sort of gameplay we were aiming for: something pick-up-and-play, with rules that stick, no grand explanation needed, competitive, satisfying, and built around memory. We had been approached about games inclusive for those with dyslexia, visually driven and easy to recall once learned, and we wanted to mindful of this when creating our new game.
It became an exercise in inventing a new card rule, adding it in, trying it out, timing it, and seeing what happened. Rinse and repeat. The broken ideas came back out, the better ones stayed in, and slowly the deck was distilled into something busy enough to stay tricky, but not so much that it became overwhelming.
It was an entirely enjoyable process, and quite an unusual one for us because it was completely abstract; the mechanics came first.
Alternatively...
So, what on earth should this little game actually be about?
The couple of overthinkers that we are, this probably became the trickiest part of the whole project.
We have so many themes tucked up our sleeves. Honestly, loads. Some of them I still hope will become future projects, so I'll keep those to myself for now, but what I can tell you is that Chris's use of the word "alternatively..." became so frequent it was basically a song, a vocal stim, or some kind of mad catchphrase.
The themes ranged from abstract nonsense to deep lore, journeys, and exploration. You might wonder how on earth you squeeze a grand adventure story into such a simple game mechanic. Turns out, you can, though I'm just not sure it's recommended.
Eventually, we had to tell ourselves to calm down and choose the one theme that actually suited the game, rather than forcing complications where they simply weren't needed. It needed an idea that would make people smile before they'd even read the rules. A picnic where the sandwiches have developed survival instincts felt exactly the right amount of ridiculous.
Rise of the Living Bread
And so, we arrived here.
With artwork inspired by the likes of Adventure Time, allowing Chris to embrace his animation roots and Adobe Fresco, alongside gameplay we hope would earn a nod of approval from Taskmaster; Rise of the Living Bread became exactly the sort of game we wanted to make.
It all begins with what should have been a perfectly ordinary picnic... until the sandwiches decide they've had enough and make a run for it.
Players search the gingham blanket, trying to round up four runaway sandwiches before anyone else. Of course, the rest of the animated picnic has other ideas. Wasps buzz in, ducks waddle through, ants get involved, and before long you'll be second-guessing every card you were certain you'd memorised.
It's quick to learn, satisfyingly chaotic, and full of wonderful moments where someone confidently declares, "I know exactly where that sandwich is!", only to discover it scarpered three turns ago.
We promise that if you're the first player to find four runaway sandwiches, you'll feel entirely smug. And rightly so.
Tabletop Scotland
Rise of the Living Bread will be making its convention debut THIS WEEKEND at Tabletop Scotland, 4th-6th of September, at the Royal Highland Centre, Edinburgh.
It will be available online soon after - pre-order your copy here now!
We are so excited for the picnic panic to commence.
Chat to you next time!
Katie
Team Toad x
🐸 Want More from Terror Toad?
Follow us on Instagram
Read about our UKGE adventure of 2026 here!
Sign up for our newsletter - we never bombard you with emails x
