Wheel of Time Gaming Book Review

I review the Wheel of Time Roleplaying game book based on Robert Jordan's novels.

Happy Holidays and Merry Xmas!

Category:

Gaming

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[kght222]

oh and read the strike at shayol ghul if you want to get some idea where the sexism comes from. it takes place about 3000 years before the book serise and is about the breaking of the world, and the division between male and female channelers. and the tainting of the male half of the true source.

[tetsubo57]

@kght222 Yes i can actually. If you are crafting a new world, why make it as bad as the existing one? Why not just write historical fiction? I based my opinion on the game that I reviewed. The sexism was blatantly obvious, heavy-handed and offensive. That the books are just as bad doesn't diminish what the game presented.

[Shatteredragon]

Lol, while I enjoy your review, there were certain things sadly that you obviously wouldn't understand unless you read the stories themselves. I think your best comment was at the start where you said that if one had already immersed themselves in the world of the books you could easily enjoy and understand how this world works and why it had the limitations. It appears this game was designed for fans only though. It would be interesting to hear your review after reading the entire series.

[tetsubo57]

@Shatteredragon I don't read fiction any longer. So my revised opinion will have to remain an unknown.

[Sidaris2003]

I agree wholeheartedly about the sexism. Hell, I eventually had to stop reading it because the female characters were so incredible bitchy and all around awful people. The idea of poisoned magic and other story points were interesting, but I just couldn't keep reading those horrendous characters.

Oh, and, uh...what? You don't read fiction, like...ever? Did you ever do so? I can see how you still get by, as RPG books are sort are filled with fun fiction.

[tetsubo57]

@Sidaris2003 Answered in PM.

[alphapmu]

i don't think the books were meant to promote sexism (this is the first time i've seen someone take offense to it), it definitely raises the issue of sexism and is explained in a way that makes sense in the fiction (the world is full of social divisions initially and a lot of progress is made). I guess this is beyond the scope of this review which was excellent nonetheless.

[FelineElaj]

@tetsubo57 Oh my... no offense, but you really misunderstood all that "sexism" thing.)) I've read some of the books, and I've not seen any sexism on the author's part. Some societies or factions in the setting may be sexist, but hey, the whole fantasy is based on "mythical medieval", and medieval *was* full of sexism. So you can't blame the author or the book for presenting a society more or less comparable with the one which actually existed.

[kght222]

as someone who has never checked out this rpg, but has read all the books (opposite of you) i find it funny that the rpg seems to get ogier just right. they ARE experts, and peace loving, so very few ogier are dedicated warriors.

[clintdogg01]

This taint has caused all men who can channel since to eventually go mad.

SPOILER ALERT:

About 2/3s of the way through the series, the main character finds a way to cleanse the taint, and madness is no longer a side effect of wielding the male half of the one power.

There are also some limitations to each half to help balance each other. Male channelers are generally stronger, but cannot link without women. Women however can link without men, and linking is much stronger in the books.

[clintdogg01]

This game is definitely unplayable without having read at least the first few books in the series. The whole concept of magic is that there is something called the 'True Source', which has 2 parts. Females can touch one half, Men can touch the other half. In the plot of the books, the main antagonist "The Dark One" was sealed away and is breaking free. When he was sealed ~3000 years ago, his last action was to place an evil 'taint' on the male half of the true source.

[Shatteredragon]

@tetsubo57 No worries, even for general fiction readers the WoT series is long and involved, dragging out (though with needed plotlines) through fourteen 2 inch books. I've known a few who walked from this series refusing to read it till it was finished. I am obviously biased having read the series, but if anything your review as a fan has made me decide if I can find a copy to buy it. I already knew playing with anyone who hasn't read it would be a bad idea though.