Claire Mollet

So this is mad.

In 2021 I wrote the murder-mystery adventure Terror in the Streets for Lamentations of the Flame Princess. Some people quite like it.

This week, I have been informed that Mariah Kronvik wrote a song about it!

(About the adventure, not about me writing the adventure.)

This sort of thing has never happened in my world before. I am humbled. Thanks Mariah!

P-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-pancake Day!

Obvious

Goblin, Weak

Apparently it is (or was) #GoblinWeek ; I'm not sure what that means, but here's a goblin with a blunderbuss anyway.

#KelvinDrawsThings

Are You My Mummy?

I think I started drawing this in 2009.

Don't worry, potential future clients! I haven't spend 16+ years drawing a single picture! This is part of a project that involves some of my earliest work, and some bits that didn't get finished or included the first time around. More on that when I know more. Probably. #KelvinDrawsThings

FUTURE JUICE

Fancy alchemists call this concoction "The Potential of Futures Yet to Come" but everyone calls it "Future Juice" so there it is. The magic in this potion pulls success from the future to the present, granting an advantage now at the cost of losing that advantage later. Most adventurers consider this a fair trade-off, as they live, and often die, in the moment.

The potion is ice-blue and has a faint glow, and tastes a bit like blueberries.

Most bottles of this ice-blue potion have three doses; roll 1d3 if found in a random hoard.

A dose grants the drinker a free critical and/or guaranteed success on their next roll, with the caveat that the next natural critical and/or guaranteed success they roll is wooshed away to be used by their past self, and so must be re-rolled.

Ingredients: a cup of water from the fastest river in the land, two tears from an optimist, and two tablespoons of sugar.

13th Age: Can also be used to get a specific roll, for example the Fighter's Precision Attack, which normally triggers on a "natural 16+ hit".

Source: There's a potion with a similar effect in Adrian Tchaikovsky's City of Last Chances. I liked the idea so I pinched it, like a common thief.

2026 Shall Be Defeated!

Well, I didn't complete many of my not-goals for 2025.

Oh dear.

• I did finish writing WAR 16XX and got some good feedback from a couple of experts, but the art remains to be done. There are a few reasons why that hasn't happen, not all of which are my fault, but even so it's a bit disappointing that stalled.
• I made some progress on a new LotFP adventure, but nothing publishable, and I really need to finish WAR 16XX first.
• I didn't play 40K or The DOOMED, but I did get one game of Stargrave in, and designed a handful of missions.
• Legions Imperialis remains under my desk, unpainted.
• I played Cthulhu Hack so I made progress on the unplayed rpgs list. Very minor progress, but progress nonetheless!

Right, so what about 2026? Well, I am still reluctant to make any solid plans, but we can aim for something like:

• I need to get WAR 16XX out the door.
• Stuart and I have pencilled in a rough plan to play at least one wargame a month, including 40K and Stargrave.
• I'm sure I can get another game crossed off the unplayed list. Maybe. Ish.

I managed to complete three of my five not-goals for 2025, so I'll aim for three in 2026, and maybe complete one. We'll see.

Happy new year everyone!

Mince Pie Fest 2025: Sainbos in a Tin

I got these as a Chrimble present, so although the main scoring is finished, the reviews continue!

The pastry is a little crispy and the filling is quite dry, but otherwise these are quite tasty. The pastry has a pleasant sweetness to it and the filling is full of mixed flavours; there's a bit of booze, nice fruit, and plenty of festive spices. The tin is quite nice too. 3 out of 5. (Palm oil)

#MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay

Are You Hoping That the Snow Will Start to Fall?

However you celebrate the end of the year, I hope you have a good one. See you in a few days.

Mince Pie Fest 2025: Cornish Pasty Shop

"The best mince pies in the world" according to the shop's owner. The owner who also told me that they don't like mince pies.

Quite the paradox.

These are BIG! And unlike Asda's similarly sized efforts, they are packed full of filling. The pastry has a lovely flavour, semi-savoury, semi-sweet, and is firm and thick, with a pleasant crumble. The bountiful filling is chunky and tasty, but lacks anything special; there's no booze and not a lot of spice.

It should probably be noted at this stage that these are £4.50 each, and even if they were indeed the best mince pies in the world, I'm not sure I could recommend them at that price. 3 out of 5. (Palm oil? Unknown!)

#MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay