July 2026: A Memorial for Laurel Larsen
in the early morning of July 16th, I lost my dear friend, Laurel Larsen. Laurel was one of the three co-founders of Ill Gotten Games, along with myself and Jeremy Larsen. She edited all of our games (and would have edited this post as well) along with handling correspondences, business logistics, and so much more. Laurel took a lot of pride in what we did, starting when we were sharing free designs at the dawn of the 3d printed tabletop community. She was always supportive and generous with her time to make sure that it succeeded and that our customers and supporters got the best possible experience.
Roadside Cairn (with a laurel tree), the model dedicated to Laurel (available below)
Outside work, she was the most fiercely caring person I’ve ever known, and she made everyone in her orbit feel welcome and loved. I was lucky enough to be called family. Her smile lit up the room, her laughter filled it with warmth, and her sharp with kept us in stitches. (In my worldly experience of 47 years, her mastery of creative cursing has yet to be matched.) She was an amazing mother, a talented baker, and one of the strongest people I’ve ever met. Even in the face of her illness, she strove to care for those around her rather than focus on the impending tragedy.
Laurel fostered my art. Without her, I might never have started down this path. For every miniature I sculpt, every book I write, I owe a debt to her constant encouragement (and assertive editorial nature).
With her passing I lost a best friend, Jeremy lost a spouse, and Adeline lost a mother. Our lives are left with an unthinkable void, and Ill Gotten Games will never be the same without her. She wanted this little company to thrive, and we’re going to work toward that with the very best of our ability. If we’re at all successful, it’s only because her influence is still with us, driving us to be the best versions of ourselves as she did in life.
July Free Miniature: Roadside Cairn
Designed in Laurel’s honor, this support-free scatter terrain features a lone cairn on a hillock, flanked by a young laurel tree. She was so proud of this little business, and that our art reaches and resonates with people around the world. If you print this piece and use it on your tables, you’ll be honoring her legacy, and we thank you for that. If you feel like posting a picture, tag @illgottengames and share the love. This piece will be here, free for anyone who wants it. For anyone who wishes to pay their respects here or at the original memorial post, please do. We really appreciate it.
For those interested in the painting process, I printed (FDM) in black filament, then hand-primed with dry-brushing using warm colors in place of the usual grey/white (dark brown, lighter brown, off-white, then white) before applying speed paints.
Thank you for reading,
Dutchmogul and the Ill Gotten Games team