(Crowdfund Quest) War of the Dragon: The Wheel of Time

Crowdfund Quest is a new column that takes us on daily expedition into tabletop crowdfunding with a look at a current project in the tabletop gaming world.

The War of the Dragon is the first licensed boardgame to be made based on the epic The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. Published by Dire Wolf, who are behind the excelllent Dune : Imperium boardgame, the game has generated a fair bit of interest and has already raised over $700,000 through the Kickstarter campaign.

The War of the Dragon has two game modes - The Hero Mode which is a two player game which sees The Dragon and The Dark One gather their most trusted allies and lieutenants to complete missions and assert control over contested regions. The Hero Mode can also be played with four players, where two players take the Light and two the Shadow. Each team acts together, shares resources, and wins or loses as one - but you can’t show your partner your cards and all discussions have to be in front of all players.

The second way of playing the game is the Epic Mode - which is only available for two players. In the Epic Mode the scope and stakes both increase as you take the field with the most powerful armies you can upgrade and enhance throughout the game for the Final Battle.

Both game modes span the years from The Battle of Two Rivers, depicted in The Shadiw Rising novel, to the end of the Third Age. Hero Mode includes the preparations for the Last Battle, while Epic Mode brings the entire cataclysmic confrontation to your tabletop. As your strategy unfolds, you must balance short-term advantages against long-term preparations for The Last Battle. Individual objectives can help you along the way, but peak too early and you might see your advantages turn to dust.

Each round, players will take turns playing cards to take actions that generate resources, recruit new allies, or allow your forces to move around the map. Taking the same action as your opponent is costly, so anticipating your opponent’s strategy is crucial.
One of the actions, along with particular cards, will allow you to advance your own Wheel. Each player has a personal Wheel that tracks the progression of their destiny. In Epic mode, investing resources to keep your Wheel turning pays off in leveling-up your heroes… or freeing the Forsaken from their prison at Shayal Ghul.
As your influence grows, you’ll collect allies with five different skill icons, represented by cards in a tablleau. Gaining strength in each skill will improve the actions you can take thoughout the game, and depending on the game mode, having control of more of these skills than your opponent will earn you extra points or extra power at the end of the game.
Overcommitting to a single skill carries its own risks, but if you’re careless, you may find your opponent wrestling control from you in a disasterous final twist… plan carefully!

The game is available in two editions through Kickstarter. The Dragon Reborn Edition, which will be available in retail stores in 2027, includes everything to play with characters and armies represented by colourful cardboard standees. The One Power Edition will only be available through the crowdfunding campaign, with limited copies available post-campaign direct from Dire Wolf but not through retail, adds 40 beautifully sculpted high-quality miniatures depicting the iconic characters of the Wheel of Time.