I Keep Meeting Board Gamers in the Wild | August Ponderings & looking forward to Tabletop Scotland!

AUGUST 2025

Okay, well… not quite the wild. A colleague waiting for a lift outside Kelvin College in Springburn. A chat with someone I hadn’t seen in years in Elder Park, Govan, while handing out macaroni to librarians. Working again on a project at the Museum of Scottish Industrial Life in Coatbridge. Each time:

“Oh, I have a game night,” or,

“There’s this game I love.”

All lovely, creative people. All board game people.

Bridging Two Worlds: Games and Community Art

For some reason, until recently, I kept my work as a community art facilitator separate from my work with Terror Toad. Looking back, it seems a bit silly - they’re both creative practices, after all. Both involve collaboration, experimentation, play, and a lot of glue.

I think I compartmentalised these facets of my work because Terror Toad is a collaborative project, a business with a brand and its own swampy sense of self. It has ups and downs, unglamourous emails, and late nights. But so does freelancing - and I've done plenty of that. The truth is, both parts of my work are creative. And I should really let them speak to each other.

Merging Creative Muscles

I’m not talking literally - although painting a board game could be fun (park that idea for later). I mean more mentally, and creatively. Because whether it’s games, painting, sensory play, slime-making, colouring-in, sticking clay to a tree - it’s all the same muscle. Imagination, connection, joy.

Recently, I helped 76 school kids design a mascot for the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

I learned the best bubble recipe.

I revisited an old idea about painting with the sea - something I first saw at the British Art Show years ago.

It’s a bit chaotic, my work life. But it’s never boring. And designing games doesn’t feel so separate from the rest anymore.

Play Is Everywhere

In Irvine, I introduced a group of young people to Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza. In Glasgow, I found common ground with folks over Animal Crossing. We all just want to play. Art is play. Games are play. Play builds trust, connection, and confidence.

A New Toad Code

So here I am, rambling about creativity… but I do have a point. It’s this: we’re leaning in. Leaning into the experimental, artistic side of Terror Toad. It’s about time.

In last months post, I said we had a lot to talk about — and that’s still true. We’ve found an opportunity to pause for thought, and reflect. We had a lovely, well-deserved holiday. We’re still mapping out what’s coming next, but while we tinker away in the background, I just want to say thank you. All the kind and unexpected messages we received after July’s update really meant a lot. It’s kept us going, and reminded us why we do this in the first place.

And speaking of what’s next… we’re really excited to say that we’ll be at Tabletop Scotland 2025 next week! You can find us from 5th–7th September at the Royal Highland Centre in Edinburgh, selling GRIM INC and Imposter Pigeon and having fun!

If you’re there, please come by and say hello — we’d love to see you.

Croak again soon,

Katie 🐸

Team Toad x

Thanks for Reading!

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