There’s no doubt that Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series is one of the modern greats of the fantasy genre, selling millions of copies worldwide and accruing a very dedicated fan base in the process. Since then, it’s unsurprising that the IP has expanded out into all sorts of other mediums, some of which have proved to be more successful than others.
The one that immediately springs to mind is the now-cancelled Prime Video adaptation, but there have been plenty more besides and there are additional releases on the way all the time. Now, one of the most exciting of those upcoming arrivals has seen a lot more light shed on it, and it draws inspiration from some absolute titans in the space.
In case you missed it, War of the Dragon: The Wheel of Time is the first-ever official tabletop board game adaptation of Robert Jordan’s epic fantasy book series. Developed and published by Dire Wolf Digital, it raised a staggering $1.1 million on KickStarter, becoming one of the most successful projects in the history of the platform in the process.
Now, the creators have sat down for an interview on their own website, and given plenty of interesting tidbits about the project, including how it could replicate the successes of some of the biggest games in the medium. In discussing how the game came about, creator Mike Mihealsick shared the following insight:
“The Wheel of Time is my favorite IP, and if you know me, you know I literally cannot shut up about it — so the idea of making a board game adaptation has been rattling around in my head for a long time. Since 2018, Ryan and I had been collaborating on trying to find “The Wheel of Time in a box” — a complete experience that was epic and weird and absolutely stuffed to the brim with story. Getting there as independent designers wasn’t easy; the venn diagram of publishers who would take a pitch from us and publishers who could actually land the The Wheel of Time IP had a vanishingly small overlap. There were a lot of dead ends. When we heard that Dire Wolf had the rights, we knew we had to reach out — and when the license ended up covering the full literary saga, for the first time it felt like the Wheel was turning in our direction.”
“The Wheel of Time is my favorite IP, and if you know me, you know I literally cannot shut up about it — so the idea of making a board game adaptation has been rattling around in my head for a long time. Since 2018, Ryan and I had been collaborating on trying to find “The Wheel of Time in a box” — a complete experience that was epic and weird and absolutely stuffed to the brim with story. Getting there as independent designers wasn’t easy; the venn diagram of publishers who would take a pitch from us and publishers who could actually land the The Wheel of Time IP had a vanishingly small overlap. There were a lot of dead ends. When we heard that Dire Wolf had the rights, we knew we had to reach out — and when the license ended up covering the full literary saga, for the first time it felt like the Wheel was turning in our direction.”
Andy: Mechanically, War of the Ring is kind of the big dog here. It’s the benchmark for the grand style, and it really makes that epic, shared experience between you and your opponent. (Plus conquering a continent is just very satisfying.)”
<p>Ryan: Our first touch points for this game were War of the Ring and Star Wars: Rebellion. We loved the way that both of these games approached their IP and gave you a sandbox where moments from the stories may or may not unfold the same way. Even though it's very mechanically different, I think fans of those games will find a lot to enjoy in War of the Dragon.</p>
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Andy: Mechanically, War of the Ring is kind of the big dog here. It’s the benchmark for the grand style, and it really makes that epic, shared experience between you and your opponent. (Plus conquering a continent is just very satisfying.)”
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Ryan: Our first touch points for this game were War of the Ring and Star Wars: Rebellion. We loved the way that both of these games approached their IP and gave you a sandbox where moments from the stories may or may not unfold the same way. Even though it’s very mechanically different, I think fans of those games will find a lot to enjoy in War of the Dragon.
If the developer can capture even a fraction of the magic that those games managed, then War of the Dragon: The Wheel of Time could easily become one of the best games in the space. There’s still a lot time to go between now and a release next year, though, so let’s hope everything goes smoothly before then.
A sprawling epic fantasy franchise rooted in Robert Jordan’s landmark 14‑volume novel series—later completed by Brandon Sanderson—centered on the cyclical struggle between Light and Shadow, anchored by the prophesied Dragon Reborn and a richly woven world of magic, politics, and myth.
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