Defenders of Soma

Nominated as a Finalist in Fast Company's 2018 World-Changing Ideas Awards.

The world of Soma is under siege by the Lords of Pestilence. Ancient warriors like Penicillin, Cipro, and Tetracycline rush to its defense, but these invaders learn quickly how to resist. Some become even stronger when they are struck down.

Healing Blade: Defenders of Soma immerses you in a fantasy realm that represents the real world struggle against infectious disease and bacterial resistance. It’s a two player board game wherein one player attacks innocent villagers with infectious bacteria while the other defends with antibiotics. The game requires no prior knowledge of medicine, yet accurately reflects the current state of actual antibiotic use against the most common and most feared bacterial infections. Designed in a collaboration between gamers and physicians, Defenders of Soma offers a complex strategic gameplay experience, while also increasing familiarity with today’s medical quandaries in the face of waning antibiotic effectiveness.

The Second Edition comes with updated cards that reflect changes in antibiotic guidance, adds additional pathogens and some recently approved antibiotics, and includes some extras that were previously only available during the game's original Kickstarter campaign, like the Allergic villager and Pregnancy cards.

If you like high fantasy and also have an interest in medicine or microbiology, this one-of-a-kind game will definitely hit your sweet spot!

Bacterionomicon: A coffee table book bestiary of lore for the world of Soma! (Not an actual game.)

The Bacterionomicon is a compendium of infectious bacteria and antibiotics presented in the style of an RPG bestiary book, in order to use imagination, metaphor, and stories to aid learning and promote awareness about antibiotic misuse. The book contains entries for 46 "Lords of Pestilence" from Acinetobacter baumannii to Yersinia pestis, and 30 "Apothecary Warriors" from Amoxicillin/Clavulanate to Vancomycin. Each entry includes an elaborate high fantasy illustration, descriptions of tribal groupings, fighting styles, and nemeses, and an article about its role in the ongoing battles across the Soman countryside.