A new official Wheel of Time release is confirmed for 2027, with Dire Wolf preparing to bring War of the Dragon to tabletop players following a hugely successful crowdfunding campaign. The strategy game represents the first officially licensed board game adaptation of Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time novels and attempts to squeeze the sprawling conflict between the Light and Shadow into a single tabletop experience.
Dire Wolf is no stranger to turning major franchises into strategy games, with the company previously working on properties such as Dune. War of the Dragon takes on a particularly difficult challenge given the size of its source material. The completed Wheel of Time saga spans 14 sizeable main novels, and the board game draws characters, events, and locations from across the series rather than adapting only one installment. Development was led by Mike Mihealsick, Ryan Schoon, and Andy Clautice, with Mihealsick describing the long-term ambition as creating “The Wheel of Time in a box.”
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War of the Dragon: The Wheel of Time Confirms 2027 Release
War of the Dragon: The Wheel of Time will begin reaching players in 2027, as stated on Kickstarter, with Dire Wolf currently expecting US fulfillment during the first half of the year. However, international deliveries may take several additional months, while the publisher says it expects all crowdfunding copies to arrive before the end of 2027. A physical retail release of the Dragon Reborn Edition is also planned through participating game stores and international partners during 2027. Impressively, The Wheel of Time game easily surpassed its original $50,000 Kickstarter target, ultimately attracting 6,156 backers and more than $1.16 million in pledges.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Easy (5)
Medium (7)
Hard (10)
Start
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Easy (5)Medium (7)Hard (10)Start
The tabletop experience itself is primarily built around two opposing players fighting for control of the Westlands. Gameplay mixes area control, tableau building, set collection, characters, missions, and armies, with one side representing the forces of the Light and the other serving the Shadow. The game’s two main head-to-head formats are Hero Mode and the considerably larger Epic Mode, while a separate Solo Mode was added during the Kickstarter campaign. Hero Mode is designed as the more approachable way to learn the strategy game for new players, while Epic Mode expands the conflict with massive armies, character progression, story events, and an eventual confrontation at Tarmon Gai’don.
Trying to capture so much of Jordan’s story could be what makes War of the Dragon particularly interesting for longtime readers. The tabletop game starts at a point roughly inspired by The Shadow Rising, after the Stone of Tear has fallen, but it is not limited to events from that section of the series. Allies and story elements allow characters and memorable moments from across the books to appear as players build their own version of the conflict. There is even a four-player team variant of Hero Mode, with two players cooperating as the Light against another pair controlling the Shadow.
The Kickstarter’s strong performance suggests a substantial audience is already waiting for another way to experience the Wheel of Time universe. Raising more than 20 times its original target is a strong start, although adapting such a massive fantasy series into an accessible strategy game is a different challenge from simply generating interest in one. Players will begin finding out how successfully Dire Wolf has managed that task when War of the Dragon starts shipping in 2027. For fans who missed the crowdfunding campaign, the planned retail Dragon Reborn Edition will still give the Great Pattern another chance to pull them in.
