Regular players of the d20 system may need more convincing.
This MONSTROUS 317 page hardback has everything a fan of the WoT could ask for and does it for the only SLIGHTLY painful price (...).
It is all here... and condensed for immediate play. This rule book contains all the rules you need in one place (hence the size and cost increase)... no need for a player's handbook, monster manual or Dungeon Master's Guide.
Presented are the myriad human cultures of the WoT presented in great and loving detail and the Ogier are also presented as a player race. Core classes for the players capture the feel of the setting and whet your appitite for the prestige classes to follow (I mean, REALLY, you didn't think you were going to START play as an Asha'man, Aes Sedai, Warder or Wolfbrother did you?).
Fear not, from Asha'man to Gleeman to Thief-Taker, all of the concept of the WoT series are handled with reverance for the author's design and the d20 multi-classing methodology helps to frame the character concepts well...
New feats (including lost arts like dream-walking) are presented along-side those from the PHB.
Channelling and the One source are well defined and structured and some "Weaves" are labelled "LOST" for the players (like the Heroes of the Novels) to discover (Balefire anyone?).
Topping off this excellent product are sections on running the game and faithful interpretations of the exotic monsters of the settings...
Those who want to see their favorite character's stats will NOT be disappointed as the heroes of the tale (and some of the villians) are given the star treatment...
Finally, and I can not express this enough, the artwork on this piece is GORGEOUS... it is a delight to the eye and fits beautifully within the framework of the book's layout (which is also quite beautiful).
Fan of the WoT or not, this product is a big win for d20 system.
Source material-wise, the book is densely packed. It certainly has information gaps, but I did not reasonably expect one roleplaying sourcebook to exhaustively give the setting for a 7000+ page novel series.
For roleplaying material, the book is superb. The jump from 3rd edition Dungeons and Dragons to Wheel of Time Roleplaying Game should take less than a day for the GM and maybe two hours for a player. Complete newbies may need more time, but new players need a longer learning period for any roleplaying game.
The adaptation of the magic items and spellcasting system are spectacular. I had been terrified that a handful of DnD spells would be renamed and one or two ill-considered dreamwalking spells would be inserted. Instead, small aspects of the DnD mage and sorceror class have been taken and tweaked with a lot of new material. Channelling, shielding, linking, sa'angreal, and saidin's taint are covered and covered well. Dreamwalking also earned its own section.
There are few elaborate adventure hooks but a number of short ones and numerous hints and suggestions.
I say, get it and go nuts. (...)
The channeling system, despite my intial reaction to it (weave slots, only so many weaves per day? No way!) actually looks good. Weave slots aren't absolute limits, they're upper *safe* limits. Your channeler can exceed them if needed, but it's a risk. Affinites and talents are handled gracefully as well, though you have to read the One Power chapter carefully.
Some thing are ommitted or simplified, but considering the size of the game and the easy availablity of the source novels (and that RJ himself's writing the Prophecies of the Dragon advanture book), this is understandable. All the major elements are included, and even a starting adventure (which I haven't read, not being a GM). So although it's expensive, it's worth it I think.
And one final note: The cover art is by Darrell K. Sweet, and it appears somebody sat on him until he got things mostly right instead of vastly wrong.
