Six years in the making, the Kolke family is launching a fun new card game called Symptomatic on Kickstarter.

The game started development in 2018 while Leslie Kolke, a Mount Si alum, was studying painting at Eastern Washington University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art. When the pandemic came along, development was paused as the theme felt a little too ‘on the nose’ with current events. How much so? The game’s first version even featured a mask-wearing character on every card.

Restarting Development after the Pandemic

After things started reopening, the family surveyed friends and early game testers and decided to finish the game. Laughter is the best medicine, and although the theme of Symptomatic can be considered inherently dark, it’s lightened with puns or jokes on every card and a bright and goofy comic book style.

This game isn’t intended to make fun of serious illness, either. It’s for having silly, lighthearted fun with friends and family.

Family and Community Involvement

Symptomatic has been developed by Leslie Kolke and her father, Danny Kolke, the founder of Boxleys, JazzClubsNW, and the North Bend Jazz & Blues Walk festivals. Symptomatic has also involved many local community members in the development with playtesting and other aspects of the project.

The game even has its own 30-second trailer with original music composed by Boxley’s regular band leader, Matso Limtiaco, and performed and recorded at Boxley’s by the Pony Boy All-Star Big Band. Local voice actor Gary Schwartz, founder of Valley Center Stage, also got involved with doing the voice-over for the ‘How to Play the Game’ video. These videos and the story of their game development can be found on their website: www.symptomaticgame.com.

What is the Game About?

Symptomatic is a light, card-based game about serious diseases. From Chicken Pox to the Bubonic Plague, getting sick has never been so much fun. Manage your cards and combine various symptoms to infect others with deadly diseases while utilizing cures to protect yourself. However, be careful, as cures can have consequences too!

The goal is to be the healthiest player in the group when the first player dies. The diseases in the game are based on real-life ailments, and specific symptoms are required to infect another player. Assemble your hand to give a set of symptoms to your opponent, and watch out for the sets your opponents give you! Use both your real-world pathology knowledge and your in-game strategy to dish out more diseases than you take

Symptomatic, like real life, requires critical thinking, strategy, and a bit of luck to stay healthy while everyone else suffers. Featuring plenty of brightly colored original art and goofy puns, Symptomatic is the mix of disease, decisions, and dad jokes you never knew you needed.

How does Kickstarter work?

Kickstarter is a funding platform that allows creators to share their ideas with the world and backers to pledge money to help make the project a reality. Backers pledge money to join creators in bringing projects to life, and in exchange, receive rewards such as one-of-a-kind experiences, limited editions, or copies of the creative work. Kickstarter’s all-or-nothing funding model means that if a project reaches or surpasses its funding goal, the creator receives their funds, minus a fee, and backers are not charged for a pledge unless the project reaches its funding goal.

Now Available for Pre-Order

Symptomatic the Card Game is now available for pre-order on Kickstarter. The campaign launched on March 23rd and will run until April 20th. If the campaign meets its goal of $7,500, the game will go into production, and backers should have their brand-new card game in time for the 2024 holiday season. The Kolkes are also planning a local pick-up event so locals don’t need to pay shipping costs.