The Wheel of Time: War of the Dragon is real, official, and arriving in 2027 from Beadle & Grimm and Twin Cities Games, and every WoT reading group we know is already looking for the desktop apps that will hold the campaign together. The publisher confirmed a hybrid asymmetric board game with a solo and cooperative mode, a full deck of channelers, and a campaign layer that ranges from Falme to Tar Valon. That’s a lot of state to track by hand. The best apps for Wheel of Time board game companions on desktop below cover playtest simulation, session prep, rules reference, and stats tracking, so you’re ready the day the box lands.
What to look for
- Tabletop simulator support, so you can play the game before the box ships
- Solo-mode helper (dice rollers, AI opponents), since the WoT board game ships with a solo mode
- Campaign notes that sync across sessions and players
- Rules reference that survives an offline game night
- Play-log stats so the group can see who’s actually stacking wins
- Community mods, because a fandom this size will produce them within a week of release
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Free tier | Starting price | Cross-platform |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tabletop Simulator | Playtesting the game early | Demo, limited | ~$20 base | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Board Game Arena | Async play sessions | Free plan | Around $4/month Premium | Web |
| BGStats | Session logging and stats | Free tier | Around $10/year Pro | Web, Windows, macOS |
| Obsidian | Campaign notes and lore vault | Free | Around $50/year Sync | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Roll20 | Live session with a battle map | Free tier | Around $10/month Plus | Web |
| Fantasy Grounds VTT | Rules-heavy sessions | Free demo | Around $10/month subscription | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Cards of Eternity: The Wheel of Time | Bridge from the fandom to a card game | Free-to-play | Free | Windows |
The apps
1. Tabletop Simulator, best for playtesting the game before it ships
Tabletop Simulator is where the WoT reading group starts to see what a War of the Dragon table actually feels like. The Steam Workshop community rebuilds every major board game as it hits Kickstarter, and by the time the 2027 retail box ships there will already be a couple of unofficial mods that recreate the map, the channeler deck, and the campaign structure. Physics-based pieces, dice, and a scripted rules layer make it the fastest way to try the game without a preorder.
Where it falls short: an unofficial mod doesn’t replace an officially licensed digital port, and the game state saves to a single machine at a time.
Pricing:
- Free: Demo
- Paid: Around $20 base
- Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
Download: Tabletop Simulator on Steam
Bottom line: the first app your group installs the moment a fan mod lands.
2. Board Game Arena, best for async play
Board Game Arena hosts hundreds of officially licensed board games and is the most likely home for a licensed digital War of the Dragon variant once the publisher lines up terms. Turn-based async play means your group can carry a campaign over a work week without needing everyone on a call at once, and the Elo system rewards learning the game properly.
Where it falls short: the licensed catalogue is smaller than Tabletop Simulator’s mod library, and there is no guarantee War of the Dragon lands here.
Pricing:
- Free: Full base access
- Paid: Around $4/month Premium
- Platforms: Web
Download: Board Game Arena site
Bottom line: the second stop once a licensed digital version arrives.
3. BGStats, best for session logging and stats
BGStats is the tracker that turns board game night into a data set. Every play logs winner, score, players, expansions, and playtime, and the desktop client syncs to the web dashboard the same way as the mobile ones. A running campaign spans multiple sessions, so a WoT War of the Dragon group ends up with a legible record of who has actually earned the Amyrlin Seat.
Where it falls short: the campaign-tracking layer is manual, and stat visualizations trail Tabletop Simulator’s built-in logs.
Pricing:
- Free: Full tracking
- Paid: Around $10/year Pro for extra graphs and cloud sync
- Platforms: Web, Windows, macOS
Download: BGStats site
Bottom line: the pick when the group wants to know who’s actually winning.
4. Obsidian, best for campaign notes and lore vault
Obsidian is a local-first Markdown wiki, which is exactly the shape a Wheel of Time reader wants for a campaign. Backlinks connect Rand al’Thor and Lanfear and Falme without ceremony, page templates capture session notes in a fixed shape, and the Graph View makes fifteen sessions worth of channeler intrigue readable. The plugin ecosystem covers dice rolling, initiative trackers, and a dedicated Board Game plugin that reads BGStats CSV exports.
Where it falls short: setup is DIY, and the mobile app is a separate paid tier.
Pricing:
- Free: Local vault, all plugins
- Paid: Around $50/year Sync
- Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
Download: Obsidian site
Bottom line: the pick if the group’s campaign starts to look like a novel plot.
5. Roll20, best for a live session with a battle map
Roll20 is a virtual tabletop originally aimed at Dungeons & Dragons, but the map, initiative, and character sheet tools are exactly what a WoT board game campaign needs when the group is spread across time zones. The Wheel of Time Roleplaying Game community has been posting sheets and maps on Roll20 for years, which gives a War of the Dragon campaign a launchpad on day one.
Where it falls short: the free tier locks assets behind a marketplace, and video call quality trails a dedicated Discord bridge.
Pricing:
- Free: Full base access, limited storage
- Paid: Around $10/month Plus
- Platforms: Web
Download: Roll20 site
Bottom line: the pick when the group needs a live map and initiative tracker.
6. Fantasy Grounds VTT, best for rules-heavy sessions
Fantasy Grounds VTT is the more automated cousin of Roll20 and the tool the tabletop wing of Wheel of Time already uses. Character sheets enforce the rules automatically, GM tools automate initiative and effects, and the licensed content marketplace already carries the original WoT Roleplaying Game modules. If a board game session slides into a full RPG side campaign (and War of the Dragon will), Fantasy Grounds is the place it lands.
Where it falls short: interface has a 2000s Windows feel that’s polarizing, and licensed content is priced per module.
Pricing:
- Free: Demo
- Paid: Around $10/month or $150 one-time
- Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
Download: Fantasy Grounds VTT on Steam
Bottom line: pick this if the group is a mixed board-game-and-RPG crowd.
7. Cards of Eternity: The Wheel of Time, best for a bridge from the fandom to a card game
Cards of Eternity: The Wheel of Time is a fan-made digital card game on Steam that runs on the licensed IP and does an honest job with the source material. It’s not the War of the Dragon board game, and it’s not trying to be, but it’s a running Wheel of Time table you can sit at while you wait for 2027. New players can meet the source material through Cards, and returning readers can see the setting rendered by another artist.
Where it falls short: matchmaking depth is thin at off-peak hours, and the balance is still a work in progress.
Pricing:
- Free: Free-to-play with paid packs
- Paid: Cosmetic and card packs
- Platforms: Windows
Download: Cards of Eternity: The Wheel of Time on Steam
Bottom line: the game your reading group can play tomorrow while War of the Dragon is still on the calendar.
How to pick the right one
Install Tabletop Simulator today and watch the Steam Workshop for the first War of the Dragon fan mod. Set up BGStats before the box lands so the campaign has a stats history from session one. Use Obsidian to keep the shared lore vault (Trollocs, channelers, Ta’veren threads) that a mixed reader-and-player group will want. Add Roll20 or Fantasy Grounds when the group inevitably drifts into a Wheel of Time RPG side campaign. Board Game Arena is where you’ll play the licensed digital port when Twin Cities Games gets there.
Cards of Eternity is the tide-you-over pick. Skip it only if you already have a homebrew WoT tabletop group meeting weekly.
FAQ
When does the Wheel of Time: War of the Dragon board game come out?
Beadle & Grimm and Twin Cities Games have committed to a 2027 release, with a pre-launch pledge window ahead of the retail box.
Can I play the Wheel of Time board game online before it releases?
Not officially. Fan mods on Tabletop Simulator are the closest option, and only after community modders publish a rebuild once the rulebook is public.
What’s the best free companion app for the Wheel of Time board game?
Board Game Arena and Obsidian both have full free tiers that carry the load. Pair them and you have async play plus a durable campaign wiki.
Do I need a rules-heavy VTT like Fantasy Grounds for a board game?
Only if the group blends board game play with tabletop RPG sessions. For a pure board game night, Tabletop Simulator plus BGStats is enough.
Which app is best for solo mode?
Tabletop Simulator combined with the WoT solo bot mods (once they land) will be the fastest solo option. In the meantime, Board Game Arena’s bot-supported games give you a similar single-player feel with a different ruleset.
