Area Control & The Map
War of the Dragon: The Wheel of Time
The Westlands divide into seven regions, claimed space by space.
- The Borderlands (north) — Shienar named as a representative Borderlands nation
- Tarabon (west coast) — Tanchico (Taraboner capital) is referenced as one of the heroes' early targets in the Telling Your Tale diary
- Illian (southwest) — Illian is a Shadow stronghold city/space; claiming it lets the Light seize the Crown of Swords
- Andor (central) — Caemlyn is the key Andoran city space, depicted under Rahvin's corruption in the Area Control diary
- Tar Valon region (central-north) — Tar Valon is a named city space directly linked to mission scoring; Far Madding is a nearby smaller landmark used by missions
- Tear (south) — The Stone of Tear is a Light starting point
- Two Rivers & Aiel Waste (east/frontier) — Two Rivers / Emond's Field is a Light starting location; the Aiel Waste is named as an early mission target
The seven regions
The diaries describe seven regions spanning named nations and cities — from the hardened hills of Shienar in the Borderlands to coastal Tarabon on the Aryth Ocean — but Dire Wolf has not published a fixed list of seven canonical region labels. The names below are representative groupings drawn from the nations and cities the diaries cite, not official board labels.
| Region (representative) | Description | Cities & landmarks | Corruption |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Borderlands (north) | The hardened northern marches that guard against the Blight, exemplified in the diary by 'the hardened hills of Shienar'. One of the canonical Westlands nations the map breaks into controllable spaces. | Shienar named as a representative Borderlands nation. Stedding Shangtai is among the smaller landmark spaces tied to specific missions. | Like all regions, its city spaces can be corrupted by the Shadow; a corrupted city becomes an immediate point of contention and a Shadow VP/strength source. |
| Tarabon (west coast) | A coastal nation on the Aryth Ocean, called out in the diary as 'coastal Tarabon on the Aryth Ocean'. A building block of 'Randland' that the Light must rally and the Shadow wants to dominate. | Tanchico (Taraboner capital) is referenced as one of the heroes' early targets in the Telling Your Tale diary. | City spaces here can be corrupted by the Shadow, granting extra strength and Corruption-track progress. |
| Illian (southwest) | A southern nation ruled at game start by the Forsaken Sammael, who holds the Crown of Swords there until the Light gathers enough strength to root him out. | Illian is a Shadow stronghold city/space; claiming it lets the Light seize the Crown of Swords. | A starting Shadow foothold; corruption in friendly cities here boosts Shadow strength and advances the Corruption tracker each Chapter. |
| Andor (central) | The central heartland nation, represented on the map by its capital Caemlyn, where the Forsaken Rahvin is shown holding sway. | Caemlyn is the key Andoran city space, depicted under Rahvin's corruption in the Area Control diary. | Caemlyn is illustrated as a corrupted city, the canonical example that corruption is both extra VP and extra strength for the Shadow. |
| Tar Valon region (central-north) | The seat of the Aes Sedai and the White Tower; holding the Tar Valon map space gives a leg up on any mission tied to events there. | Tar Valon is a named city space directly linked to mission scoring; Far Madding is a nearby smaller landmark used by missions. | City spaces can be corrupted by the Shadow; map control here also sways mission outcomes. |
| Tear (south) | A southern nation whose capital holds the Stone of Tear, a Light starting position; the game's story begins just after the Stone of Tear has fallen. | The Stone of Tear is a Light starting point. Shadar Logoth is among the smaller mission-linked landmark spaces in this part of the map. | City spaces are vulnerable to Shadow corruption like the rest of the board. |
| Two Rivers & Aiel Waste (east/frontier) | The eastern frontier where the heroes begin: the Two Rivers (Emond's Field) is a Light starting point, with the Aiel Waste as a key early objective after the story's opening. | Two Rivers / Emond's Field is a Light starting location; the Aiel Waste is named as an early mission target. | City spaces can be corrupted by the Shadow; controlling half of a region's spaces claims the whole region and advances the Banner track. |
Corruption & the Shadow's edge
The Shadow spreads corruption through city spaces. A corrupted city becomes an immediate point of contention — and corruption is both extra VP and extra strength for the Shadow. By placing corruption markers in friendly cities, the Shadow gains strength there and advances its Corruption tracker at the end of every Chapter.
The Shadow also has a movement advantage: calling on the Ways uses the Travel keyword, letting it move to a far-away space in a single turn. Strongholds like Illian (held by Sammael, who guards the Crown of Swords) and Caemlyn (under Rahvin) start as Shadow footholds the Light must root out.
