I’m delighted to share the latest Meet Your Maker interview! This time I catch up with PostCurious founder Rita Orlov, who has just launched a Kickstarter campaign for her intriguing new puzzle game: Ministry of Lost Things: Lint Condition. As well as talking about the game, we discuss the evolution of PostCurious, her favourite play-at-home experiences, and the importance of collaboration. Rita also offers some hints at what the future has in store…
Once you’ve read the interview, make sure you check out the Kickstarter campaign for Ministry of Lost Things: Lint Condition; link below!
Can you start by telling me a little about yourself?
My name is Rita Orlov and I live in Oakland, CA. My background is in art and design, but I started out my puzzle-making journey by working at an escape room. I started PostCurious as a passion project in 2018 and it has been my full-time gig since mid-2020. In my spare time, I like to play board games, escape rooms, make art, and rock climb.
For those who don’t know, what is PostCurious?
PostCurious is a small publisher of narrative tabletop puzzle games. It was founded by me and as of this year, run by me and my colleague Chelsea. It came about as both a creative outlet and an attempt to make an engaging play-at-home product that combined tactile puzzles with story and art in a satisfying way.
What might a ‘typical’ day consist of in PostCurious Towers?
Aside from checking our inboxes, days actually tend to be quite varied! Sometimes we are actively working on new designs, prototyping, or creating art. Other days I might be deep in a spreadsheet or correspondence with factories, while Chelsea is working on social media content or drafting the newsletter. We also may be writing a blog post, brainstorming, or planning future projects, events, or materials. With only two people running things, we get to wear quite a few hats!
How has the business evolved over the years?
A lot has changed since I was assembling everyone’s games by hand in my one-bedroom Brooklyn apartment. Learning about mass production in the lead-up to The Emerald Flame Kickstarter changed the game plan so I could spend more time designing and less time assembling packages. The success of the Kickstarter also allowed me to pursue PostCurious full-time, which meant I could devote more energy to growing the company. Another big milestone was publishing The Morrison Game Factory. Originally, I started PostCurious as a way to self-publish my own games, and to be able to offer a platform to other creators was a big step.
Finally, having Chelsea on board this year has been a big change, both in terms of dividing and conquering tasks, but also in terms of company morale. Instead of working alone in the bubble of my own mind and being responsible for absolutely everything… I get to work with my friend who also happens to be great at making puns and keeping me on task! Plus, our collaboration has given me some much-needed breathing room.
What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced?
The biggest challenge has always been (and still is) getting more people to know about our games. I think we’ve managed to build a player audience, but there are so many people out there who would love these games and have no idea they exist. Aside from that, I’ve always found the business side of things very challenging, and it is partially because my drive is always to make, and less so to sell. Unfortunately, it’s rather necessary for sustaining a successful business.
You’ve just been listed as a Global Star on U.S. Chamber of Commerce CO-100 ‘America’s Top 100 Small Businesses’. Congratulations, that is a huge achievement! What does this mean to you and how did you celebrate?
Thank you! It is pleasant to be recognized, though I am not sure if it will change anything in the grand scheme of things. I don’t think we’ve really properly celebrated yet but when we do it will probably be with a puzzle!
Your latest game has just launched on Kickstarter. Where did the idea for The Ministry of Lost Things come from?
Ever since I was young I’ve loved the idea of “secret worlds”—places that coexist with our lives and are only accessible within a certain context. After having some conversations with people about things that seemingly just disappear (and occasionally reappear!) I was inspired to make a game about a fantastical realm where objects go when they get lost—a place where they come alive and live out their own stories.
‘Lint Condition’ is the first case in a series of games set within the ‘Elusiverse’. How does the episodic format change your approach to game design?
It forces us to think about certain things more systematically. For example, what kind of structure should the cases have? If we make a website, how will it be programmed to address the save states and hints of multiple cases? We also decided on a particular box size, so it increases the constraints on what materials we can include. Naturally, it also puts constraints on the type of stories we can tell since they all have to fit within the world and the tone of the series. At the same time, creating small stories within a shared universe allows us to explore different pockets of the world more thoroughly, so even though there is less depth in some ways, there is also more breadth.
While the cases are planned as being standalone, will there be any overarching narrative or puzzle elements across the series?
As of now, I don’t think there will be overarching narrative elements between the episodes (aside from them taking place in the same world.) Puzzle-wise… could there be some kind of hidden message written across several box covers? Who can say? 🙂
The stunning artwork in this game is designed by Nicole Gustafsson. As an artist yourself you’ve produced a lot of the art for your previous games, what is it like working with other artists on your projects?
It’s so refreshing! I love working with other artists and seeing their process, as well as being able to creatively direct elements of the art that I can’t illustrate well myself. We all think so differently, and it’s really exciting to be able to describe something and then bear witness to the incredible interpretation that another creative has come up with.
The Emerald Flame and The Threads of Fate rank very highly on puzzlers’ top games lists – are the days of long-form games over at PostCurious or would you like to make more?
They are definitely not over! Long-form games like that just take so much time to make, and the development process is sometimes difficult to juggle with other projects and running a business. I’m finally back to working on a longer-form project that has been percolating in my mind for a few years, and hoping it will get a 2025 launch.
You’ve published several collaborative projects: The Morrison Game Factory with Lauren Bello, as you mentioned above, and also The Light in the Mist with Jack Fallows. What are the benefits of collaborating and why is it important to you?
If you find someone you can share a vision with and who has skills that complement yours, the power of two is so much greater than what I can accomplish alone. Whether it’s brainstorming stories and puzzles, or another aspect of design, it really helps me to bounce ideas off of another person. I also recognize that while I’m capable of writing and drawing myself, I’m not going to be the best person to do all of the jobs in all of the contexts. My strong suits are in creative direction and puzzle design, so those are the roles I typically take on myself, and when it comes to everything else, I have to assess the scope. If I have a certain vision for how I want something to look or feel, but I can’t execute it myself, I find a collaborator I can work with to help me fulfil those goals.
From the PostCurious newsletter, it is clear you have lots of irons in the fire. Can you tease anything exclusive about your upcoming projects?
The one with the flower icon (see below) is going to be the next project I focus on, and it’s going to be a bit of a wacky art nouveau-inspired structure that feels somewhat modular like Light in the Mist, tactile in the way Emerald Flame is, and a bit otherworldly in the spirit of Adrift. It is also the game that Adrift was a pseudo prequel for.
There are so many types of puzzle games available – are there any formats you would like to explore in future that you haven’t already?
This answer will be annoyingly vague… There is one puzzle type I had really been wanting to explore for a while and finally got to! It’s a collaboration that hasn’t been announced, so I can’t say more yet, but you have seen the icon in the newsletter… it’s getting close to being done. I also have another format in mind for a future game that I am a little giddy about, but I’m afraid it’s gonna stay a secret for now.
You have a Patreon page, what sort of content can subscribers expect to get access to if they sign up for that?
Paid Patreon members get a monthly behind-the-scenes post with some juicy insights into our creation process, including sneak peeks of in-progress puzzles and art. Certain tiers also get Patreon-exclusive quarterly puzzles, access to our Discord, and the opportunity to give feedback and influence some aspects of our designs.
Lastly, I’d love to know what some of your favourite puzzle games are and if you have anything on your wish list?
- Some of my all-time favorites are The Vandermist Trilogy by Diorama, the quarterly boxes from Society of Curiosities, and the Hincks collection by Bluefish Games.
- It is also spooky season so I’ll add: I quite enjoyed Witchery Spell and Never House by DarkPark as well as Root of All Evil by Crack-a-Nut Mysteries.
- My wish list right now is for Spectre & Vox to deliver1, and I’m also really looking forward to the final instalment of The Vandermist Trilogy, The Nightingale Pact.
Thank you!
Thanks so much to Rita for taking time, in the busy run-up to the Kickstarter launch, to answer these questions; it means a lot!
PostCurious continually raises the bar for quality with its catalogue of narrative puzzle tales. If you haven’t played any yet, I would highly recommend you check them out! I recently reviewed The Morrison Game Factory and deemed it a ‘must-play’ game, but all of their games are truly incredible.
More information on Ministry of Lost Things: Lint Condition can be found on the Kickstarter campaign page.
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Footnotes
- Spectre & Vox was successfully funded on Kickstarter in 2020 but has suffered from extensive delays. Nick Moran, the creator, and his team have ramped up the development again in recent months and it is looking like the game will release soon. ↩︎
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