A Quiet Gaming Week, A Crazy Life Week - This Week in Hating Dice (2025 – Week 11)
So, full disclosure… this was a light week for gaming, but a wild week for life.
I was tempted to skip writing this, but I’ve been really enjoying getting content out regularly, and I'd rather have a shorter, more personal update than none at all. Let me know—do you like these life updates, or should I stick more to gaming content?
Counting Down to the Move
It’s 8:30 PM on Saturday, March 15th—just 26 hours before we leave for the UK. We’ve been living out of a basement suite since moving out of the house, with a quick overnight trip to Drumheller to visit the Royal Tyrell Museum one last time and say goodbye to the dinosaurs. 🦖
Yesterday, we made the final return to Calgary and checked into a hotel… and, in a typical twist of fate, we found out there’s a huge Junior Hockey event in town this weekend. The only room available for a family of four? The Honeymoon Suite.
One of the highlights of the week was trying to explain to Evie why there was a bathtub in the bedroom instead of the bathroom. The best I could come up with? "Obviously, so you can watch TV while taking a bath on holiday!" 🛁📺
Other than that, the week has been filled with disrupted sleep, constant upheaval, and an unhealthy amount of Nintendo Switch time. We introduced Evie to the joys of Bomberman and Mario Party mini-games—because it’s never too early to teach kids that life isn’t fair, and nothing does that better than Bowser stealing your Stars and dropping you from first to last place. 😂
In all seriousness, the kids have handled everything far better than I could have hoped. Evie has focused on the exciting parts of moving, instead of dwelling on what she's leaving behind. I’m incredibly proud of her.
Jump to Hyperspace – Star Wars: Unlimited
In gaming news, I picked up my order of Jump to Lightspeed for Star Wars: Unlimited and spent a couple of evenings opening packs and organizing cards into my binder.
I missed all the pre-release events, so I’m already feeling behind on the emerging meta, but I did pull a Showcase Admiral Trench, so naturally, I’m now forcing Swarming Vultures to work. We’ll see how that goes…
One Last X-Wing Night with Chinook Squadron
Friday night was my final meetup with Chinook Squadron, and we made it count. We all went out for pizza and craft beer before heading back to The Sentry Box for one last after-hours game night.
I managed one last game of X-Wing, running the 6-Ship Republic list I used in February:
✈️ List Breakdown:
Anakin Skywalker (Siege of Coruscant)
Odd Ball (Siege of Coruscant)
Jag (Siege of Coruscant)
Axe (Siege of Coruscant)
Custom Slider (Dedicated)
Custom Boost (Dedicated)
I’ve really been enjoying this list—it’s a great mix of beef, numbers, and an i6 ace in Anakin.
The Final Match – Scramble the Transmissions
I faced off against Matt, who was running a 4-ship Rebel list featuring a weird gimmick:
Kanan Jarrus (Ghost)
Hera Syndulla (B-Wing)
Captain Rex (Snap Shot)
Wes Jansen (Snap Shot)
We rolled for Scramble the Transmissions as the mission. Matt won priority in Turn 0, and the board state ended up with a tight cluster of objectives on the right side, surrounded by asteroids.
Game Breakdown:
Turn 1: Wes moved aggressively but had limited escape routes, allowing Anakin and Odd Ball to line up early shots. Hera traded heavy fire with Jag, who barely held on thanks to Dedicated rerolls.
Turn 2: Hera landed a brutal shot on Jag, but Kanan was just out of range to assist. Matt struggled between using Suppressive Gunner for defense or going for full offense. Meanwhile, Slider and Boost secured objectives on the right flank.
Turn 3: The Z-95s held their ground, providing defensive rerolls while maintaining board control. Wes was eliminated, removing the Jam threat.
Turn 4: I broke through Matt’s lines and took his backfield objective while continuing to press the fight over my own objectives. Hera was blocked, losing her action and allowing me to finish her off the following round.
Turn 5: Matt’s Kanan made a last-ditch effort, scoring a full string Range 1 shot on Slider, but I still had overwhelming board control.
Moving into Round 6, the game was 18-7 in my favor. Matt knew the game was mathematically out of reach, but he jokingly dragged it out, saying, "I just want to play more X-Wing with you before you leave!" 😆
The match ended 20-14, with me flying Boost off the board and intentionally landing multiple ships on asteroids for fun. A proper sendoff game!
Much fun was had, and I’ll truly miss this group. But I know I’ll find an X-Wing community in Wigan, and I’m already looking forward to my first games over there.
The Final Week in Canada
Other than that, it was a week of goodbyes, procrastination, and making the most of every moment with friends before the move.
I tried to balance having fun without abandoning Gillian to do everything herself, but honestly, at this point, I’m just ready to be done.
Sunday night can’t come fast enough.
Canada, it’s been an absolute joy. Thank you to everyone who made this North American adventure amazing. Next time you hear from me, I’ll be on the other side of the Atlantic! ✈️
📖 Read More: DiceHate Articles
That’s it for this week—next stop, the UK! Have you ever had to say goodbye to a gaming community and start fresh somewhere new? Share your experiences in the comments or over on the DiceHate Discord! Also, if you’re in the Wigan area and into X-Wing, Legion, or Necromunda, hit me up—I’ll be looking for new gaming groups soon! 🎲🔥
