This series of books tell the story of a man who is destined to destroy the world in order to save it, as he has done before countless times. The turning of the wheel of time brings back the Age in which the force of chaos that means to end the world may be set free and it is up to the people of that Age to stop it, or not. Their epic struggle against the Darkness and the darkfriends, and the misguided people that should be their allies but aren't, is set against a grand background of a world with its own laws of magic and complicated history that shaped the world as it is today.

The series is rich in detail and full of interesting characters; it has its beauty and its cruelty and it is brought to be very much alive. The struggle between two powers is what makes this an excellent choice for a theme for roleplaying games.

Players of the Weave mud have send the following reason why they love this series of Robert Jordan for their game and roleplaying:

The Wheel of Time Series by Robert Jordan is an excellent role-playing environment. Jordan has created such an extensive background to his fantasy world that it makes it easy to immerse yourself into the society he depicts. He has carefully planned out the various nations of the continent which he focuses on, complete with varying social norms and etiquette, clothing styles, and mythology. In the front of each of his books is a colour map of the continent. By the time his 6th book in the series was printed, the map had been improved dramatically, which further eases the use of the Wheel of Time as a role-playing environment.

The series currently stands at seven books, which vary from about 600 pages to around 1000 pages, depending on whether they are hardcover or paperback; the sheer volume of information in seven such books provides the ability to role-play in a very detailed environment. There are many factions within the system Jordan created which provide for a myriad of role-playing opportunities.

Conflicts can arise between the members of various nations due to age-old warring that produced strong prejudices. The evil forces of the Dark One are always a threat. A race of savages, the Aiel, live in a vast desert and are shunned by nearly everyone not of their race. A large military organization similar to Templars or Holy Crusaders exists, the Children of the Light; they believe that their philosophy is right, and those who disagree with them must be servants of the Dark One. An ancient race of humans that used to control the entire continent, the Seanchan, left the continent long ago for new conquests, and has recently returned to reclaim its kingdom. The magic-users, or channelers as they are called in the Wheel of Time, have extensive rules inherent in them as well; and people tend to regard them with hatred or fear in most cases. On top of all of this cultural strife and prejudice, the Series is set in a time where ancient prophecies are beginning to come true, and it appears that the apocalyptic Tarmon Gai'don, or the Last Battle, is soon to begin between the forces of humanity and the forces of the Dark One. All in all, the rich cultural background and potential for conflict are the main factors in making the Wheel of Time series such a rewarding role-playing environment.

There are several Wheel of Time based muds out there. I know of the addresses of the folowing:
The Weave (mud) telnet to: weave.mud.com 6060 or visit their web page: http://weave.mud.com/~weave/
The True Source (mud) telnet to source.mudservices.com 6060 or visit their web page: http://www.source.mudservices.com
A Moment in Tyme Mud telnet to: tyme.envy.com 6969
The Great Hunt (mud) telnet to: tga.lbdata.net 4000 or visit their web page: http://www.fortunecity.com/rivendell/final/153/index.html
Wheel of Time (mud) telnet to: wotmud.org 2222 or visit their web page: http://www.wotmud.org/
Dragon's Fang (mud) telnet to: Tjorven.ludd.luth.se 4000
The Web of Destiny (mud) telnet to: destiny.betterbox.net 9000 or visit their web page: http://destiny.betterbox.net/~destiny