Independent game designer Scott Malthouse has launched Curious Quests, a new venture building bespoke analogue storytelling and roleplaying games for museums, galleries, and heritage sites. The service aims to replace passive visitor observation with interactive, screen-free play that combines professional tabletop game design with cultural education.
Malthouse is best known in the tabletop space as the founder of Trollish Delver Games, where he designed accessible, rules-light systems including the letter-writing game Quill, Romance of the Perilous Land, and Unbelievably Simple Roleplaying. Curious Quests represents a commercial pivot from direct-to-consumer indie publishing into business-to-business consulting. This move leverages his established design philosophy of creating highly accessible mechanics alongside his fifteen years of corporate public relations experience with brands like Disney and Waterstones.
The studio operates out of Leeds, a city positioned near major UK tabletop events like AireCon and home to prominent cultural institutions such as the Royal Armouries. This geographic and cultural positioning aligns with Curious Quests’ target audience, which focuses on providing families and groups with collaborative, physical ways to interact with local history and folklore.
Rather than focusing on digital integration or app development, Curious Quests breaks its core offerings into four distinct analogue formats designed for physical venues:
- Print and play games: Short, thematic narrative games distributed at point-of-sale for visitors to take home.
- Immersive gamebooks: Choose-your-own-path style books designed for younger audiences and adults.
- Roleplaying games: Custom tabletop systems that families can learn and play collaboratively.
- Spatial storytelling: Location-based roleplaying experiences that require visitors to physically interact with different areas throughout an attraction.
Scott Malthouse, Founder of Curious Quests, said:
I want to help some of the world’s most exciting cultural attractions tell their stories in new and imaginative ways, creating experiences that visitors can engage with, enjoy and remember.”
Attractions looking to commission bespoke analogue games can find portfolio details and contact information directly at Curious Quests.
Image credit: Liliana Drew.
