Tom's Thoughts on Last Light

Tom Vasel shares his thoughts on Last Light, a quick-playing 4X game designed by Roy Cannaday.
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[@EpicGamingNight]

I’m out of the studio for one day and this happens!?! 😵

[@morallying]

😀

[@Johnsemgawl]

You could see he liked the game in the playthrough ;)

[@peacefuldragon742]

Careful about letting Tom touch the cameras when you're not around. 😄

[@bryanyoung9966]

Congrats Roy!!

[@wishmeheaven]

It would be hilarious if Tom will defeat you some day on this one 😏 Congrats for you firstborn!

[@dntmk3r]

I don’t comment on KZbin but I just wanted to say this was a very sweet endorsement and I was happy to watch it. Telling your friends/colleagues/peers you are proud of them and you support them is a beautiful thing, we need more of that. Love this channel and I have the utmost respect for the people running it.

[@MrDJCoulton]

I think nobody is going to believe you'd throw away the trust you build over decades just to make a friend happy. It's not a game for me but I can absolutely feel the love and care thats put into it

[@carlochericoni8368]

I tried the game on TTS with my group of players and I completely agree that it is a very good game. The simple mechanics give rise to a surprising complexity in the possible strategies to be implemented. Fast, well-balanced, and fun to play, it's a first work of the highest level. I also agree that there is a feeling "tiny epic" and that is why my comment is that I would also like a version with slightly less rich components with a lower price tag than the current standard edition.

[@jackdempsy7104]

Glad you didn’t stay silent on this one, Tom.

[@BrandonGraham]

I half-expected this to be a bunch of clips stitched together from old footage to make Tom look like he was praising the game. ;)

[@pipsinspaaace5282]

Hahaha I was half hoping it was going to be something like that. It would be hilarious, and I think people would understand the lightheartedness of it.

[@rontalkstabletop]

Right on, Tom. I played it at the retreat. 8 player game in about 70 minutes. All 4x's. It's the real deal.

[@CANAS1AN]

the info i am seeing says it is only 4 players

[@Sgrand80]

@@CANAS1AN the base game is 2-4 players, with the expansion it goes up to 8

[@BuckFu]

Great video Tom. I completely understand the conflict, so exciting to see someone from the channel cranking out a game, I wish you all the best.

[@EfrainRiveraJunior]

I'm happy for Roy, and I know that if anyone at the Dice Tower say that the like the game, then they like it. Plus, we can try it on TTS for free to see if _we_ like it before backing the game.

[@Tgaxgriffen]

I'm so happy that Tom enjoys this game. Its so heartwarming to me. This game definitely looks like something I would enjoy. Roy has a lot of tastes in games that I love and so does Tom. I was 100% backing this game before becuase of the premise alone and I'm happy two opinions I trust are behind it as well.

[@joeybergin1058]

I'm glad you put this video out. I have to say, I backed the game about 10 minutes into your gameplay video. I wasn't sure about it until that video came out, but I think Roy put together something that looks super fun. It is good to hear you tell us what you thought afterwards.

[@patrickperl8741]

Tom, YOU are the real deal. Thank you for your honesty here. I don't think anybody can deny your sincerity. Thank you for all you do and congratulations to Roy!

[@TabletopHaven]

Well done Roy! Super cool to see this doing well.

[@ShelfClutter]

Thanks for sharing. Looks rock solid, love how the action selection works and gets reset!

[@chadp9856]

Was following the preview page for over a month and backed immediately. I wanted support Roy but it also looked like an amazing game. Been following the dice tower for 8 years and know Tom won’t pull his punches. I was hoping you did a video like this and appreciate it. Congrats Roy! Can’t wait to play!

[@necrotoaster94]

I appreciate the spot you're in for this Tom and was wondering if you were going to say anything either way. I think this was tastefully done and I commend you for speaking your mind.

[@EliteBeast]

damn hes proud of him. im in.

[@MattPoelzer]

I’m a day 1 backer, I have 0 doubts about this game! Congratulations Roy!

[@primusinterpares5767]

Tom Vassel supporting the boys ❤️🙏❤️

[@primusinterpares5767]

Tom is proud 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

[@ajw5388]

Already backed to support fellow Marvel Champions lover, Roy Cannaday! Really glad to hear this reaction, I can never get 4X games to the table and this seems like the perfect way to get one to the table more regularly!

[@RichMulholland]

Very well handled Tom. Respect, and best of luck Roy 👊🏼💥

[@DoctorGarro]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on Last Light, Tom. I know it’s not easy to have an objective opinion in a game made by one of your friends, but I trust in you and I’m excited to play Last Light in the near future.

[@CharlesBoyung]

You know that "objective opinion" is an oxymoron, right?

[@monicap.2188]

I love your enthusiasm for games Tom. And Roy great job designing what looks like a fun game. Going to go back it now and give it a try

[@ianw0ng]

roooooyy!!! congrats. veerrry happy for u and the entire dice tower family. will definitely look for the game here in asia once it gets here.

[@WhereTheSkyRuns]

Well done Roy, and well done Tom 👏👏

[@justanerd1138]

It was very cool that you were willing to do this.

[@kenaguasa7305]

Ok So was Roy editing this video :) congrats Roy! 4X genre moves forward once again!

[@Andrew.Griffin]

Imagine if Tom said the opposite, but Roy edited it all out to make it positive? Epic! Ha-ha-ha, oh, I have an awful sense of humour! (On a side note, I am backing the 8 player deluxe version of Last Light--looks unique enough to have its own spot in my collection of games.)

[@Cheddarific]

I appreciate the sincerity of this. Thanks for being true to your friend and to us as the audience.

[@Sthunderrocker]

I was all in until I realized that it was Grey Fox Games...

[@charliep1]

Very much looking forward to this.

[@voronwecalanon206]

I was hoping you would make this!

[@fireingrey]

You shouldn't push but you should at least be honest. I think you got the right pacing and tone for this. My wife and I decided that we were getting Last Light when it came out and part of it is the playthroughs we've seen.

[@tonkabeanicecream5698]

I think it's pretty simple really, watch Roy's top 100 games of all time of top 10 lists and see what games are in his top 10. Then you understand how much he loves 4X and how long he has loved them. Then you realise his mission was to make a short one that still had the 4X's, he isn't going to make a game he feels isn't up to scratch. Simples.

[@gs24-xor]

I am glad to hear you are proud of Roy and that you support him. Of course I'm gonna get the game.

[@CharlesHepburn2]

Can’t wait to min/max this thing… I’m super psyched… [finger guns]

[@PsychicLord]

The game looks interesting, but will Grey Fox be able to make a decent production? If only we could see the final version before we pledge.

[@bestatstartrek2179]

Sounds good can’t wait to get it😀

[@g8kpr3000]

I’m really on the fence for this one. Game sounds cool. But I’m just not feeling those marble planets. It feels like a disconnect with the rest of the game. Like there are competing design choices. Plus the cost and shipping is extremely high. Which is nothing to do with Roy, and yes I know that’s just how it is now. But it doesn’t remove the fact that this still a concern. I’m going to keep watching this and make a final decision probably at the 11th hour.

Thank you for putting the [last] light to it!

[@kanaestudio]

congratulations Roy the game looks really interesting. Hopefully some publisher in Spain would be interested in backing it and releasing an edition in Spanish

[@n3cc0_]

I am excited for this game.

[@kipel1563]

This was awesome!! ❤

[@nothing3376]

This is awesome. Congrats Roy

[@alexstrang9823]

looks fabulous!

[@DiegoDeschain]

Great stuff.

[@albertfajarito1]

Thank you Tom for a very transparent talk about Last Light. I see you really watching out what to say in this video and trying to not have any personal feeling to shine through. These kind of video is hard to do; Very easy to be hyper critical to uphold the reviewer role but that would do disservice to the game. On the other end even if a game was good you can't show too much positivity in the risk of being called bias and losing objectivity.

[@OmegaDestroyer99]

The later is what I feel happened with Lang games. Not only did they act as consultants on some (like Rising Sun), some DT members started to heavily shill for CMON to the point it was embarrassing.

[@g8kpr3000]

@@OmegaDestroyer99 i wasn't aware that they acted as consultants on Rising Sun. I know Tom and Quinns were consultants on Mechs vs Minions. But I did notice that the DT Crew really seemed to push Eric Lang games. I personally really disliked Chaos in the Old World and Blood Rage. So I never bothered trying any of the other large games that Lang does, like Rising Sun.

[@OmegaDestroyer99]

@@g8kpr3000 I grew incredibly tired of Sam CONSTANTLY plugging Blood Rage. As a whole, their relationship with CMON & Lang causes me to regard most of their CMON game reviews as free advertising. I know it is not fair of me and as a whole, I believe the DT crew has integrity, but the CMON/Lang relationship is hard to overlook.

[@albertfajarito1]

@@OmegaDestroyer99 I will not be an apologist for DT, they don't need it but since you mentioned it; YES your SWEEPING statement is UNFAIR.

[@albertfajarito1]

@@OmegaDestroyer99 Also why bring this conversation here when the video has nothing to do with an ERIC LANG / CMON game?

[@stefan85ge]

The game sounds interesting. If this is going to be translated I will give it a try. My hopes are going to the Spieleschmiede since they did bring Champions and Reavers of Midgard to the Germans as well. Unfortunatly most of my gamegroup is not willing to play games in English.

[@theenthusiast4218]

The Smile on Roy's face as he's editing this was probably a very very good feeling.

[@roseability86]

Plot twist: he edited it to be positive. J/k - I'm really pleased for Roy and you can see how enthusiastic Tom is about the game! It's a heartwarming video 😊

[@EpicGamingNight]

Chris edited it I was out of town 😱

[@DTChrisYi]

@@EpicGamingNight SURPRISE!

[@LegoAssassin098]

You sneaky dog, Tom! With the talk of "pulling punches" and "trashing games" -you lead us down a path and then tricked us! Glad to hear that you enjoy the game, it's been on my radar since the beginning and that playthrough sealed the deal for me! I'm a backer!

[@lastburning]

How did he trick us?

[@LegoAssassin098]

@@lastburning He led us down a path, making it seem like he was going to be very negative, and then was very positive about it.

[@TheAmazingYeti]

@@LegoAssassin098 Define "us".

[@cbazler]

Won't be backing because Roy's taste in games is very different from mine, but I'm impressed he put in the time and work to design this and wish him the best.

[@albertk3038]

Oh no, why Grey Fox Games...

[@nosrednadnomyar86]

Thank you

[@KabukiKid]

Way to go, Roy! ^_^ Can't wait to play your game!

[@FalkFlak]

I'll be honest, the symmetric game board appears a tad bit too abstract for my taste but I hope the intended theme comes through, nevertheless. Gass Marbles as Planet are a great idea (those ones seem to be acrylic, though).

[@locust0311]

I played it on the cruise (8 players) and can vouch for everything Tom says here. Plays fast and all the Xs are there. Quite an accomplishment!

[@ryandriver3076]

Perhaps you can do a Top 10 Dice Tower Essentials video ;)

[@prophet2173]

I primarily play board games at the 2 player or solo count. Does this game still play well at that count? This sounds like a game that hits its stride at a higher player count.

[@warblefly81]

I know in the Grey Fox discord they said that Roy is playing around with a solo version but it won’t be part of this Gamefound campaign because they don’t want something to be released that isn’t fully developed. As far as two players go, I have no idea.

[@lastburning]

It has a 2 player variant but it is a variant which means it differs from the normal rules.

[@PSG_gammagoat]

In the 2-player game, there's a neutral faction that makes the decisions different than in the 3+ player game. The control of this faction changes based on who is in the lead. The 2-player mode is solid in its own right, and is equally enjoyable as a 3+ player game, IMO

[@todddonaldson885]

So its definitely not Vicious Fishes? :D Love you Tom!!!!!

[@nizmotube]

Such a shame he chose to partner with GFG, one of the few companies I’ll never give my money.

[@mike_heller]

Tom

[@tenplayreviews4702]

I really wish it wasn’t being produced by Greyfox. I just don’t trust them anymore. I’ll pick it up at retail if it is as good as it seems.

[@johchadow]

What did Greyfox do to lose your trust?

[@g8kpr3000]

@@johchadow I believe that they haven’t shipped a Kickstarter that they said they would due to high shipping costs. Something like that. A lot of people are angry at them.

[@AdamJorgensen]

@@johchadow Go check out what happened with the Tsukuyumi Full Moon Down kickstarter they ran. It was extremely late, had numerous production faults and the quality was overall extremely low and unfortunately a lot of these issues have to be laid directly at the door of GFG. Unlike just about every other company on KS they decided not to ship a mass-production copy to their head offices, instead choosing to rely on the Thumbs Up from some supposed employee located in the same country as the factory. It was a huge mistake and the end-result is a game with a premium price-tag that does not feature match that price-tag in terms of quality. Similarly, their Tortuga 2199, Arcana Rising and Ragnarocks are also extremely delayed and there have been reports of quality issues for the first two. I haven't got my copy of Arcana Rising yet but there are a lot of reports of flimsy playerboards. Tortuga 2199 is sitting on my shelf and the quality is...okay. The minis are laughably bad but there are only a few of them so meh. The card quality is pretty mediocre and the cards are also of a particularly stupid set of dimensions that make them hard to sleeve. Maybe if there were other companies on KS screwing up as often as GFG it would be more understandable but when you have brand-new companies like Nemesis Games (Uprising: Curse of the Last Emperor) doing a vastly better job of delivery a quality product on time than a long-establish player...well, frankly, it doesn't look good. At this point, for me, anything with the GFG label on is a wait for retail sale. As the old saying goes: "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me". Thanks to KS schedules and delays GFG have fooled me 3 times and that's 2 times more than should have happened. Wait for retail and wait for reviews. You have been warned!

[@TerrierHalo]

I do think Roy might be correct, that you are not pushing the DT Essentials enough, but it's always a balancing act. :D Last Light did look like a ton of fun, but because of ongoing issues with our big neighbor in the east prices overall have gone up a fair bit so it was, in that sense, very ill-timed for me as we are budgeting a bit differently. :)

[@DragonTank1400]

The one issue I see with the game, just from watching the live play, is that if you are behind it seems impossible to catch up. However, I haven't played the game so I could be way off.

[@PSG_gammagoat]

I demoed it last week and scores were at 3, 12, and 15. The person with 3 ended up winning!

[@Oncus2]

Wow, Roy is at amazing at video editing. It totally looks like Tom liked the game! I'm joking of course. I'm honestly not sure I like review of own games - there would always be bias, but congrats to Roy for living his 4x dream :)

[@EvanHalbertDC]

It's a great game! I had a blast playing it. Roy made something special!

[@ianw0ng]

if only all bosses are this supportive of their employees. u could see how proud tom is of roy.

[@EyalItsik]

They’re all friends first

[@joerobert7847]

Good job Tom.

[@bricelory9534]

Glad we were able to see a playthrough. I can tell it's going to be well received, I just think it's not for me, really. Hope everyone who gets it loves it. It does some unique things - a rotating board is a very cool idea for something like this. It is a great way, as Roy said in the playthrough, to keep spicing up combat and always be facing different people instead of the same people in your corner. Very cool idea.

[@MartyKane217]

I was definitely on the fence but Tom's endorsement pushed me over into backing it.

[@warpaint9385]

The object of this video worked then? Well on you anyway.

[@nobled1050]

Respect

[@jacobfulwiler9393]

I feel bad now. I didn't realize this game was designed by Roy. Unfortunately, Grey Fox Games has been so terrible with their projects, I will not back anything else they push and will be even less likely to buy their games at retail. They lie about their component and card quality, will not fix mistakes, ship games out before performing quality control, etc. I enjoy many of their games, but they will not get my money.

[@Thesussysuscat]

What no two copies are the same? How does that work?

[@PSG_gammagoat]

The way the planets are produced results in a unique swirl each time. The planets in each copy will look different than the next, even if they're the same color.

[@JhoffDJ.]

This video without a doubt comes across as biased. If for no other reason than the fact that you don’t do videos like this for other games. With that said - As a viewer, I believe you’re being truthful here even though the game is not arm’s length.

[@roseability86]

His whole channel is literally board game reviews?!

[@JhoffDJ.]

@@roseability86 how often is a video created just for thoughts on a prototype looking for crowd funding? Answer: rarely if ever.

[@nicolajohnson1887]

I'd back it but I only play two player games, it does look intriguing though.

[@fubarbox]

This is why I do not think I will back. Sadly I tend to only play with 2 and this seems more geared to higher player counts. Wish I could see a gameplay of 2 players though.

[@pilotvc]

It doesn't look like my kind of game but I'm glad to see it is doing well

[@wishmeheaven]

I believe you. I would have believe you even more if you were also mentioned the things that you didn't like 🙃 Nevertheless, you're a good friend, and for sure, no harm done by shooting this.

[@JarradShaw]

❤️

[@JasonSmithPsychedelicTherapist]

I backed it. 😀

[@Luke_L]

I know The Dice Tower and Rahdo get a lot of flack because you guys do paid content. I’ve been watching long enough to know that you guys are trustworthy. I got to try Last Light twice on tabletop simulator (at 4-player and 8-player) and had a ton of fun both times. I normally don’t even like high-interaction games. But this is definitely one of my most-anticipated games of whatever year this delivers :) Here’s hoping Grey Fox Games improves their quality control!

[@rb4551]

James Hudson from Druid City has no shame whatsoever in pushing his games and they arent even very good. You really should push good products! This kind of game isnt my jam but I almost want to back it anyways just to support Roy. Hope you do well Roy! good luck and thanks for posting this video. Its nice to see honest people doing something for others instead of some that might have been named here.

[@hamakakun]

Someone is throwing shade while trying to look positive. Im guessing its because of his latest campaign vids, lol. Anyway, you are comparing apple to orange. James is a PUBLISHER so it is his job to push his game like any other publisher. Tom is a REVIEWER, so of course he need to be careful on his opinion and stands on games like any other good reviewer out there.

[@rb4551]

@@hamakakun 1-I haven't watched his videos. I have 0 interest in seeing "sincere takes on the hobby" by a marketing guy who has times and times again used trendy causes to boost his sales (BLM, etc.) 2-I dont use salt in the shower or elsewhere so im not sure what the "salty" reference is supposed to mean. (Thanks for editing out and clarifying with real words) 3-The guy is a bully with a few bully friends and thats a good reason to dislike him and his overproduced mediocre games. 4-Both Tom and James DESIGN games on top of their other jobs.

[@hamakakun]

@@rb4551 I am commenting on why James promote his games because he is the publisher and its his job. While dice tower as a whole is reviewer 1st, not a designer/publisher company. That is why it is like comparing apple to orange. I dont know either Tom or James personally and i dont have any interest to do so. So no comment on that.

[@rb4551]

@@hamakakun Thanks for clarifying. Not a problem.

[@Boardgamegyrl]

What is a 4x game? What does that term mean?

[@PSG_gammagoat]

eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, eXterminate

[@Boardgamegyrl]

@@PSG_gammagoat thank you!

[@nshaw1299]

@@Boardgamegyrl They really should call it 5X because it anyway always starts with: eXplain

[@Boardgamegyrl]

@@nshaw1299 😂😂😂

[@Charlescy5]

I love you guys, but as Tom said if something is wrong you got to say it, i am mainly concern for the component quality of this, i heard it is not that good, I would like to have a honest opinion regarding it.

[@RuneGamborg]

I'm sure it is fun to play. But I will wait for the inevitable upcoming prettier second edition

[@secondstone4968]

Thank you Tom! I think we should hear some thoughts from the other people that played it live recently on the dice tower too. This is an unusual situation since we listen to the dice tower for your opinions since we trust you guys. Now that people on your team are making games and asking us to back them it almost feels like a conflict of interest. We really appreciate your openness and transparency.

[@littleceasar9351]

Roy seems like a great guy, and I hope this game is a huge success, but I have no interest in 4x or anything space themed. Hopefully Roy will keep designing games and eventually do one with a theme that is in my wheelhouse.

[@roseability86]

This is where I am with the space theme although I do like the 4X games I've played - I tend to avoid fighting other players though. I'm considering this one but it is a premium game even at base pledge so I'm thinking carefully.

[@newinhuman]

rotating board? nice

[@AdamJorgensen]

I'm guessing you haven't had the misfortune of trying the new GFG version of Tsukuyumi?

[@koalabrownie]

Looks like Sam did the review for that one, tom may not have tried it

[@AdamJorgensen]

@@koalabrownie Yeah, makes sense.

[@koalabrownie]

@@AdamJorgensen Also I checked the review and Sam did ding it 1 or more points for the components, specifically the standees not fitting in the base.

[@nathannemeth4094]

I was definitely ready for you to say that the game is garbage, but I'm glad that it went in the other direction.

[@eliumeldritch]

Ok. Sold😁👍

[@DCAMM720]

I and a few of my friends, who know nothing of how to properly design a board game and get it published, have been trying to come up with a "fast"(1-2 hours) 4X game for YEARS and finally came up with what we thought was a neat idea. Then Last Light shows up and we all went "well, that looks better, so let's trash this." and we've all been disenchanted since, lol. It looks super cool although I don't really like the board.

[@beornthebear9023]

I think channels should absolutely hype the games made by people on the channel or picked to be part of the essential line.

[@peterfleming9365]

Wife backed it. (It was her turn).

[@joeferreti9442]

As much as I want to support Roy, I have to say the price point is too high for such a game that wants to find a wide reach. "Last Light" seems a bit like a "Race for the Galaxy" at the price point of "Cthulhu Wars". :/ GFG's bad reputation and marketing methods also don't help: - Standard Edition with unnecessary bling 3D planets, but without ship minis. - no 1$ pledge for pledge manager access and higher prices for late pledge - Putting alien races into the expansion just to make the 8-player expansion essential even for people that don't need or want to play in higher player counts. - ... I also find it a bit too chaotic to take the actions simultaneously. You can't notice well enough what the other players are doing that way.

[@brianw3880]

Extremely late to the party, but I'll have to take a look at this game now. I really wasn't that interested at first because Grey Fox Games is publishing it and they have been doing a terrible job for the past couple years now, probably the worst major publisher out there, but we'll see if this game appeals to me enough to risk it

[@StuartHetzler]

imagine if tom was like "this game is straight trash"

[@Andrew.Griffin]

Don't employers tend to have a clause regarding anything created during company time or with company resources becomes the property of the employer? Maybe Last Light is now Tom's (The Dice Tower's) game??? Ha-ha, as if Tom was like that, pffft. (Heart of gold.)

[@EpicGamingNight]

Funny thing is the game was mostly made before my time at the dice tower! Man it’s been a long road! The game has been done for 3 years now!

[@CharlesBoyung]

That hasn't been the case with reputable companies for a very long time.

[@F4R207]

Such a shame that the graphical design of the game looks like it's from the 80s. I'd love to back it but I just don't like how it looks and that's a huge part of my entertainment when I play games.

[@KANDwrx]

Empire of the Stars is a pretty decent short 4X game, plus looks prettier than this

[@svenmikael]

I consider my taste to be very different from Roy's but after I watched some videos of the game I had to back it. Looking forward for when it arrives. /eruogamergalore