The Wheel of Time

The Wheel of Time is a series of high fantasy novels written by American author James Oliver Rigney Jr., under the pen name Robert Jordan. Originally planned as a six-book series, The Wheel of Time spanned fourteen volumes, in addition to a prequel novel and a companion book. Jordan began writing the first volume, The Eye of the World, in 1984. It was published in January 1990.

The author died in 2007 while working on what was planned to be the twelfth and final volume in the series. He prepared extensive notes so another author could complete the book according to his wishes. Fellow fantasy author and long-time Wheel of Time fan Brandon Sanderson was brought in to complete the final book, but during the writing process it was decided that the book would be far too large to be published in one volume and would instead be published as three volumes:The Gathering Storm (2009), Towers of Midnight (2010), and A Memory of Light (2013).

The series draws on numerous elements of both European and Asian mythology, most notably the cyclical nature of time found in Buddhism and Hinduism, the metaphysical concepts of balance and duality, and a respect for nature found in Daoism. Additionally, its creation story has similarities to Christianity's "Creator" (Light) and Shai'tan, "The Dark One" (Shaytan is an Arabic word that in religious contexts is used as a name for the Devil). It was also partly inspired by Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace (1869).

The Wheel of Time Roleplaying Game

The Wheel of Time Roleplaying Game is a role-playing game based on The Wheel of Time, an epic fantasy series by American author Robert Jordan.

History

One of the few benefits that Wizards of the Coast saw from their purchase of Last Unicorn Games was The Wheel of Time Roleplaying Game (2001), created by the Last Unicorn team and built upon their licensing expertise.

The game consists of two publications by Wizards of the Coast, a core rulebook published in October 2001 and an expansion, The Prophecies of the Dragon, which followed in April 2002. Shortly after the release of Prophecies of the Dragon, Wizards of the Coast confirmed that they would not be proceeding with any further expansions for the game. The roleplaying game rights have since reverted to the estate of Robert Jordan.

The rulebook

The core rulebook is a 317-page large-format hardcover book. It was written and compiled by Charles Ryan, Steven Long, Christian Moore and Owen K.C. Stephens for Wizards of the Coast. Robert Jordan served as creative consultant and contributed an introduction, in which he revealed that he used to serve as Dungeon Master in Dungeons and Dragons games played by his stepson Will and his friends. The book has a cover by Darrell K. Sweet, who also provides the covers for the novels, and maps by Ellisa Mitchell, who likewise provides cartography for the novels. A large number of artists provide full-color art throughout the book.

The Wheel of Time Collectible Card Game

The Wheel of Time: Collectible Card Game is a collectible card game based on Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time fantasy series, published by Precedence Entertainment (which closed its doors April 2002). The Wheel of Time was somewhat unique among contemporary CCG's, because the game required a play mat with tokens and customised six-sided dice to play it. It uses some similar game mechanics to the Babylon 5 Collectible Card Game and the Tomb Raider Collectible Card Game, which were also published by Precedence.

Quick overview of the game

Opposing players represent the forces of good or evil and reenact the epic struggle for victory as told in Jordan's books. While building up forces in the form of supporting characters and troops, and enhancing them with powerups, the player tries to weaken the opponent by hampering them with effects and inflicting damage during battles. These battles are fought over "challenges", missions that each player can initiate. The winner of the challenge receives a specific reward as specified by the challenge. The dice are used to generate four different kind of abilities, needed for recruiting characters, doing damage, and generating support or opposition during the challenges and the Last Battle.