The Wheel of Time series is easily one of the most expansive and sprawling fantasy franchises of all time. Across Robert Jordan’s original 14 novels, later completed by the prolific creator of the Cosmere universe, Brandon Sanderson, the saga has captivated millions of readers with its richly detailed world and unforgettable characters, as well as the intricate mythology surrounding the Dragon Reborn.
The series’ influence extends far beyond the books, inspiring comics, video games, tabletop adaptations, and, more recently, Prime Video’s ambitious television series. Unfortunately, despite earning a passionate fanbase, the TV adaptation was cancelled before it could fully realize Jordan’s complete vision, leaving many major storylines unfinished and fans disappointed by its abrupt ending.
Thankfully, the franchise’s future is far from over, and the newly announced The Wheel of Time: War of the Dragon marks the beginning of an exciting new era for the property, bringing the climactic Last Battle to the tabletop in a way that promises to immerse longtime readers in one of fantasy’s most iconic conflicts.
In a recent developer Q&A (via Direwolf), War of the Dragon creator Mike Mihealsick revealed that the project is the culmination of more than 15 years of obssessive passion focused on Robert Jordan’s legendary fantasy series. Calling The Wheel of Time his “favorite IP,” Mihealsick explained that he and co-designer Ryan Schoon had spent years trying to create “The Wheel of Time in a box,” i.e., a board game that captured the scope and scale of the novels and managed to do the story justice.
Their goal was to build an experience that was “epic and weird and absolutely stuffed to the brim with story,” faithfully representing the literary saga to the best of their abilities and not just capitalizing on the popularity of the IP. Clearly, adapting more than 4.4 million words of source material and thousands of different characters demanded careful consideration and planning, and Dire Wolf’s developers wanted to streamline the mechanics while preserving the heart of the series.
As such, the game features Hero Mode as an approachable entry point and Epic Mode which is intended to recreate the escalating conflict that culminates in the Last Battle. Mihealsick says the studio was committed to “making the right one” instead of simply producing another licensed game.
The designers also cited classics like War of the Ring and Star Wars: Rebellion as inspirations, aiming to give players the freedom to forge their own version of the saga while still honoring Jordan’s original vision. For longtime fans, War of the Dragon marks the beginning of a promising new era for The Wheel of Time beyond the novels and the recently canceled television series, and after blowing past its Kickstarter funding goal, the epic new board game is set to ship next June for backers, with a likely retail release thereafter.
- Video Game(s)
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The Wheel of Time
- Cast
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Rosamund Pike, Daniel Henney, Zoe Robins, Madeleine Madden, Josha Stradowski, Dónal Finn, Marcus Rutherford, Ceara Coveney, Kae Alexander, Ayoola Smart, Sophie Okonedo, Jennifer Cheon Garcia, Alexandre Willaume, Álvaro Morte