We made it to England! Jetlag, Lego, unpacking chaos, and my first visit to the Wigan club—Week 12 is live!
We Made It! Hello from the UK!
What a week it has been!
The move is officially done—we're now in our new home in England. It's been stressful, it's been exhausting... but ultimately, it's been worth it.
We started the week with a trip to Legoland right after landing, partly to delay the inevitable drive and give ourselves something to look forward to. Evie had been before during our last trip to England, but now she’s older—and more importantly, taller—so she could ride a lot more.
Nothing says ‘welcome to England’ quite like a giant dragon made of Lego judging your life choices.
The closest I got to hobby time was losing a bet to Evie and having to buy her four Minecraft Lego sets instead of the two we agreed on. In fairness, I was impressed—she ate a full hotdog all by herself, which at that point in the journey felt like a win for everyone involved.
On Wednesday, we arrived at the house, and it was… chaotic. Most of Gill’s side of the family was here helping with some work (we’re renting from my brother-in-law, so it tracks). The dining room was buried under boxes from the move, and with the kids and luggage on top of that, it quickly turned into a mad house.
Yes, this is a dining room. No, we don’t eat here. This is now the Storage-Garage-Office-Dungeon of Productivity.
Existential Crisis, Then Furniture
With Gill taking the kids out for a bit, I had a minor existential meltdown, questioning everything. Why had I spent so much effort trying to reinvigorate DiceHate right before a move like this? The house is small, there’s no basement hobby space, I don’t have anyone lined up for games… the doubt was creeping in hard.
But once I started unpacking and we took a trip to IKEA to grab some furniture that felt like “ours,” things started to click. I even got myself a desk for the computer setup, and that small slice of productivity gave me a bit of a boost.
It’s not quite a studio, but if I lean just right and ignore the dirty laundry basket, it almost feels like I know what I’m doing.
We still don’t have internet yet (I know…), and I leave for Adepticon in a couple of days, so the window for hobbying is tiny. That said, I’ll be taking my laptop and trying to get some work done while I’m away. I’m also doing my best to figure out what boxes I packed my recording equipment to take with me, and keep things moving that way.
Wigan Tabletop Games Club
Friday night, I made it out to the Wigan Tabletop Games Club, and it looks promising! I’d done a little homework beforehand and wasn’t surprised to see a game of Dragon Rampant in full swing. I even managed to find the copy of the rulebook I picked up from The Sentry Box before we left.
I am sure I will have lots of time to learn the rule while I am at Adepticon…
There were board games, some painting, and just a chill, welcoming atmosphere. Apparently, the Sunday sessions tend to focus more on miniatures, which I’ll try to catch when I’m back from Adepticon. I’m thinking I might throw together a Dragon Rampant warband and maybe even review the rules—I'll be taking the book on the plane to see what sticks.
Tiny Gaming Wins
Outside of that, hobby time was limited to a little bit of Nintendo Switch time. I dipped my toes into Tactics Ogre: Reborn and Monster Hunter: Rise, but nothing too deep yet. Everything is still settling.
My only Wigan Friend ChatGPT said that these would be a good fit, and I am sure they will be once I get through the tutorials…
Legoland already feels like a lifetime ago, and Adepticon is looming large.
So, until next week—when I’ll hopefully have some updates from the con floor—cheers from the other side of the Atlantic!
Settling in is messy, but the dice are still rolling! Have any advice for starting fresh in a new gaming scene? Drop a comment or come hang out in the DiceHate Discord—and if you’re near Wigan, let’s play some games!
