Peter Di Biasio

Peter Di Biasio was a Decipher-era Squadron Member, listed as Rogue 39 from London, UK. The published fan table marks the slot Retired after Decipher's SWCCG run. Trandosite interviewed him on 20 July 2000.

This page is a fan encyclopedia stub. It records only published SWCCG-related facts. It is not a biography and does not add private life.

Squadron listing

Slot	Town	Status (fan table)
Rogue 39	London, UK	Retired

Decipher recruited volunteer Squadron Members in the 1990s to promote SWCCG locally (tournaments, demos, player support). "FL" is printed on some slots in the surviving tables; the tables do not spell out the abbreviation.

Interviews

Trandosite, 20 July 2000

Interview conducted by Rod Latham on Trandosite.

Site player profile:

Peter Di Biasio is one of the UKs top players; he has been UK Number One and has consistently been in the Top 3 of the region for several years. He has won a series of tournaments since he began playing, and finished highly at the Antwerp Open of 1999. He has recently become a Squadron Member, Rogue 39, and is pivotal in the London and South East tournament scene.

1. How long have you been playing SWCCG and how did you get involved?

I've been playing since A New Hope came out, so that must be about 3 years ago now. I never played in a tournament though until Gen Con 1997.

I was introduced to Wars by one of my mates. I went round his house one night and he had some Premiere and we just started playing. There were a few of my other mates there and we all liked the game and decided to get our own cards at the same time. Over time, one by one, my mates stopped playing and one of those of us still playing would buy their cards until there was only me.

I never played competitively in a tournament though until Gen Con 1997. I'd been going Gen Con since 1995 and thought i'd take along my Wars cards in 97 as it had been advertised that there would be Wars tournaments there, including the regional. I really enjoyed the tournaments there and I think on one of the days Ian Carter was handing out flyers for a tourney in Portsmouth.

At this point, I found out about Decipher's web page and started using that to find out when and where tourneys were being held and i'd go to them with whoever i could get to drag along with me. This is when i really started playng competitively.

2. What has been the most enjoyable part of SWCCG for you? Any highlights?

The highlight of playing Wars for me was going to Antwerp for the European Open last year with Derek Hawkesworth, Leonard Smith, Ian Ericson, Ian Carter, Matt Allen and Nick Rice. We all played some really good games against some of the best players in the world but the best part all for me was all of us going out together to a bar and getting hammered. I'd could tell you about some of the utter crap that we talked about that night and the laugh we had but you had to be there to really appreciate it. I think I speak for all of us when I say we really had a good time.

3. What do you think of the most recent SWCCG releases?

I like Third anthology and think its about time they made an objective for CPI and blowing up the Death Star because people will enjoy playing them sort of games. I personally don't think there'll be the sort of decks that you'll win alot of tourneys with but blowing up planets and the Death Star does seem like fun.

I've seen the spoiler list for DS II and Decipher weren't kidding when they said it was going to be space heavy although I'm not impressed with the Admirals Orders cards at all. Some cards like Honour of the Jedi and the new objectives are really going to change the game, I think, but you don't really know until people start playing with them.

4. Do you have any favourite decks or cards?

I've always liked ground bosh decks personally where you beat your opponent into the ground with mains and toys. Not very original I know, but good clean fun all the same.

Favourite playing card wise it has to be Vader really, he is the man after all whereas picture wise Mostly Armless is just pure evil, I love it.

5. How come Peter Di Biasio, despite being one of the UKs strongest players for years, has never made a major tournament final? Is 2000 going to be your year?

I think I've never made a final, yet, for a number of reasons. I've missed out on occasion simply because of poor differential but you could say my main problem is I'm too cocky or overconfident. You see when i play I like to crush my opponent and i am not completely satisfied unless i can stop him in everything that he attempts to do. Therefore, if i'm draining for 2 and my opponent is draining for 1 and I'm winning I will still block his drain if i can even though its not really necessary for me to do so to win the game. On occasion doing someting like this has actually cost me the game

Is 2000 going to be my year? Well I thought it might be until I realsised i was running the regional but that's the way it goes. I'm going to the European Championships and hopefully America so we'll have to wait and see.

6. How have you found squadron membership? What is your favourite part of tournament directing?

I'm really glad I became and was accepted as a squadron member. Being able to influence the game in your area and watching it grow in the number of players and their level of skill is definitely the best part of being a squadron member for me. The same goes for directing really, watching new players come into the game and progress in their game is what being a squadron member is really all about.

7. What is the secret of your continued success in SWCCG? Any tips?

I've been lucky really to be honest. Derek Hawkesworth moved from Portsmouth to round the corner from my house when he moved to London about a year ago and although he has moved further away since then we still playtest on a regular basis. Also, Michael Rogers also lives about five minutes away and when he's not at uni I've got another sparring partner. Just simply playing on a regular basis improves your level of play and introduces you to new tactics, especially if you are willing to travel and manage to play other people from different parts of the country.

If I was to offer any tips it would be to suggest that people use your website and others like it to keep informed on new tactics and deck ideas. The amount of decks from some really good players from all over the world are on your website, people should make use of them.

Finally, and I've just thought of this, players should simply know the rules of the game alot better. As a tournament director it is amazing to see how many people make mistakes which cost them the game. If your not sure of a rule or of something that your opponent is doing, call over the ref, that's what he's there for. Don't take for granted that your opponent knows what he' doing just because he say's he does!

8. If you could play any player in the world, who would you most want to play?

There is no one person that i'd really like to play. I'd like to go to America and play in the World Championship but otherwise there's no one really. Although saying that I wouldn't mind playing some Americans with those big juicy rankings.

9. Where do you see the game of SWCCG going in the next year?

Well DS II has just come out and Decipher have stated their plans for the new sets to follow, ie. shadows of the empire, skywalkers, etc. so we'll just have to wait and see.

10. Any other comments for the Naboo Region and Trandosite readers?

Keep playing and keep using this site, its damn good.

Many thanks!

See also

• Trandosite · Interviews

• Trandosite · Interviews

• Squadron Members · Anagrams · Creators of SWCCG · Radio Free Decipher
• Corellian Engineering Corporation (fan site)
• Trandosite · Interviews

Sources

• Peter Di Biasio interview on Trandosite (20 July 2000; Wayback)
• Interviews index (Wayback 5 April 2005)

• Squadron Members (geocities.ws/plarathas, Corellian Engineering fan site)
• Decipher SWCCG Squadron Members (Players Committee reprint)