The Wheel of Time is much more than magic and swords. There are ancient mysteries, fascinating abilities, thrilling politics, and incredible heroes and villains. It has everything an exceptional dark fantasy needs. An RPG based on this 14-novel series could easily rival games like Dragon Age or Skyrim when it comes to lore and characters. It wouldn't be the first attempt, but it's not hard to top the 1999 first-person shooter by GT Interactive.
While the Amazon adaptation of The Wheel of Time has to stick to the events of the Third Age, it would work better for a game to take a leaf out of CD Projekt RED's book when they developed The Witcher as a sequel story to the novels with a Fourth Age setting. This would allow for a feeling of continuation for longtime fans when they see familiar places or names without having to change the original story. And for new players, the books and the show will only enhance their understanding of this magnificent world.
The lore of The Wheel of Time is a rich tapestry of history and legends, and learning about these things is as important to the story as visions of the future are. The ter'angreal and written repositories in places like the White Tower and Rhuidean offer more than simple historical treatises, yet what is learned isn't always up to the questioner.
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In a game setting, it would be conceivable that a player could receive an initiation through a ter'angreal and be spurred to undertake a quest. Adventurous players could even follow the Son of Battles' footsteps and negotiate a deal with the Snakes and Foxes. A subplot like that could lead the story in interesting directions, and the specific price to be paid could be an RPG element that is unique to the player's previous choices.
The Game of Houses will be played, whether the player acknowledges they are playing it or not. Characters with a noble background could have an advantage in places thick with intrigue like the White Tower. Adventurers crossing Cairhien, Tear, Saldea, or other politically charged countries would have plenty of non-combat quests to take on.
There are also some interesting social changes introduced in the books. For example, Egwene's alliance with the Wise Ones and the Windfinders is an obvious way to bring Aiel and Atha'an Miere channelers into a mainland plot while still distinguishing the player's heritage.
There are plenty of places that piqued readers' curiosity about what the Fourth Age might look like. For one, Malkier is only ever seen in its full glory through visions, and it's unimaginable that places like Hinderstap would ever go back to being normal again.
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Places that changed a lot during the events of the books, like the Two Rivers and Rhuidean, could be particularly interesting settings. Giving players the option to play as a descendant of Seanchan settlers in Falme, for example, would be a great way to bridge the old and the new.
This world is rife with creatures and anomalies that barely make sense to the characters in the story, but they do learn some things that suggest ripe RPG potential. What they know is often ominous and fascinating, from places lost to a different kind of shadow like Shadar Logoth, or haunting voids like the darkened Ways.
Some secrets, like the Tower of Ghenjei, are further explored, but phenomena like Mashadar or Machin Shin defy even Aes Sedai understanding. These seem like excellent dungeon encounters that don't end with a boss battle that can be won. Yet, areas like this would offer plenty of challenges for players trying to travel through, use, or reclaim these places.
Players who choose a One Power-wielding background for their character could begin the adventure in the White Tower or the Black Tower, depending on their gender. Within that, the Ajahs could be specializations that characters pick to unlock weaves unique to their Ajah.
Asha'man don't have Ajahs, but they do use a hierarchy system not dissimilar to the White Tower's system. Another interesting bit of world lore that could work well in a game is elder Asha'man still around after the Last Battle. They would still suffer from the madness of a Taint no longer threatening recruits.
One of the highlights of The Wheel of Time is the level of detail put into the design of fighting techniques. Swordplay alone has an entire skill tree worked out by name between the pages. It's easy to imagine special classes for characters who are Aiel or from the Borderlands, as the tabletop adaptation did. Different groups like the Children of the Light and Warders could also have special skills based on their unique fighting abilities.
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Although it's easy to see the appeal of playing a Maiden of the Spear, a game might be a great place to explore cultures that only make brief appearances. Though readers meet Atha'an Miere and other people from distant lands, it would be fascinating to visit places like Tremalking, Shara, or the Seanchan Empire.
There's a ton of fine loot to discover that could be used by different classes. Channelers have a world of lost ter'angreals, angreals, and sa'angreals waiting to be discovered. Fighters have weapons forged with the One Power leftover from the Age of Legends, or maybe even crafted by legends like Perrin.
There are plenty of other lost arts in The Wheel of Time as well. Apart from Wolfkin and rogue channelers, there's the Ogier Treesinging ability, and the lost knowledge of the Nym. These all hint at the possibility of a nature-themed class that could do much more than help trees grow. Instead of elves favoring such a class, gamers might play as an Ogier.
Channeling isn't the only fascinating system in The Wheel of Time. Dreamwalkers also have the potential warrior class subset of Wolfbrothers, for example, and it could introduce Wolfsisters. Tel'aran'rhiod would be a fascinating place to explore as a character like this.
The books also have an established way of dimensional shifting with the Portal Stones, and even the possibility of time travel is alluded to with constructs like the Ways. There are also unique abilities that could be worked into a class, such as Hurin's sniffer ability, or Min's ability to read the Pattern.
Aes Sedai have been known to perform great deeds together, although they most often work alone. They are never truly alone, however, unless they are Red Sisters. That could mean both Aes Sedai and their Warder(s) could be controlled by players for certain major quests or areas.
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The Wheel of Time has a lot of social mechanics, which would be fantastic fun to roleplay in a multiplayer RPG. Still, with the limitation of a co-op in an otherwise single-player game, there could be much more unique content for players who choose from a variety of backgrounds.
It's difficult to imagine an ancient and still immortal Forsaken settling down in a new life in the Fourth Age, unknown and unremembered. Given the ingenious way some of them manipulated events, it's not inconceivable that one or more Forsaken could still be around and sane. They would make excellent primary villains for a new hero to face.
As for henchman, a resourceful Forsaken doesn't need a Trolloc army to get her way. As a tribute to the original story, Dreamwalking and Compulsion are likely to be in such a villain's wheelhouse. The world will also always have people like Padan Fain and Hadnan Kadere who would leap to serve at the promise of power and immortality. Even if the villain would be completely new, fans know all that means is that it's another turning of the wheel.
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