Good day and well met! The Wheel has turned all the way around to Thursday and it is time for my first installment of the Rotating Feature blogs, “A Roll of the Dice.” “It is not the beginning. There are neither beginnings nor ends to turning of the Wheel of Time, but it is a beginning.”

As this week winds down millions of people, especially in the United States, are getting ready for the Great Game. No, not Daes Dae’mar, but the professional American football championship game. Many people will find themselves going to or planning parties for the big game. While this is well and good, what if you or some of your friends are not big sport fans? This is why I have put together a few suggestions on ways to make your party enjoyable for all! Since this is Dragonmount, I will cover some ways to make the party more "themed" towards the Wheel of Time book series; however, with a little tweaking and some imagination you can use any theme you want! The possibilities are endless!

So let us get started on our Wheel of Time themed Party!

Have the party take place somewhere you will all be comfortable. Many people go to pubs and sports bars to watch big games, but a themed party is better held at a home or private venue. This encourages guests to be themselves without the worry of the pub populace wondering why everyone is wearing different colored shawls!

Food is a huge deal at any party and you can use your menu as a means to further immerse guests into theme of the party. This can be done by making foods from the series such as meat pies and honey cakes or by creating your own recipe and name it after someone or something in the series. Personally, I would love some "Red Ajah” velvety cupcakes! Potlucks are always a hit and a great way to save a little time and money while also having a huge food spread.

Beverages are also important, wether containing alcohol or not, drinks are another way to add fun and atmosphere to the party. Try making different teas, perhaps a cool slightly sweetened goosemint tea or a more refined hot tea with hints of berries and honey, or perhaps kaf (coffee). Of course many wines and brandies are mentioned in the books, but if you want to be creative with mixed drink area, go for it! One of my new favorite drinks is "Blood and Bloody Ashes" which I tried at JordanCon 6.  A friend and I came up with a very simple beverage we call “Tam’s Hard Spiced Cider” which consists of one 12 ounce bottle of hard apple cider and two or three ounces of cinnamon whiskey.

Party games are a great way to spend time before the big game and avoid four hours of pre-game sportscaster commentary. One simple idea is to change well known party games to meet the theme. A few examples are Wheel of Time Charades, Find the Darkfriend (based on the party games Mafia and Werewolf), and even some Wheel of Time trivia. If you are around very close friends, and are not easily offended, Cards Against Humanity is a great game. It is basically an R-Rated version (so play with caution) of Apples to Apples and comes with some blank cards so you can personalize the game to your party’s theme or include inside jokes about your friends.

There are so many things one could do for a party to include costumes, invitations, decorations, and party favors; I cannot cover them all. Hopefully, this week’s blog has given you a few ideas to make your party the best it can be. Thank you to the Dragonmount staff for choosing me to write this blog, and to all of you whom are reading it. I look forward to trying to find things to interest this wonderful community of Wheel of Time fans each week.