I was at a short lived game store once and I saw a box that advertised the stuff in it was on sale because the owner was in prison.

I picked up LEGs "Aliens" RPG dirt cheap.

The Legend of the Five Rings 1st edition book appeared on one of my shelves some time before 2010. I have no idea where it came from, or why it was there. I do not remember buying it, and it was released in 1997, far too late for me to have been under some illegal drug. I had no interest in it, and gave it away immediately. It was in perfect condition, never having been cracked open, apparently. I admit to being baffled.

Does driving out in a near blizzard to try and find Champions count?

Frank

Quote from: ffilz;1001588Does driving out in a near blizzard to try and find Champions count?

Frank

I respect your dedication to being a gamer.

There were these 3 books lying on this rock columns. After the first one nearly sucked me into a vortex and the second one flew around and bit me, I acquired the 3rd book, which was...

...okay, I got nuthin'...:-)

I once was a huge Tunnels & Trolls fan (cooled on it over the last decade) and was searching for a deeply OOP and low print count German copy of the game from the early 80s. It came in a box and was retitled "Schwerter & Dämonen". So we're talking about a niche of a niche of a niche market product here. Seriously rare.

One day in 2010, I was visiting my then-girlfriend in Bavaria. I was in the process of taking a massive shit on her parents' toilet, while they were cleaning out their attic. Knowing of my fascination with RPGs, my girlfriend shouted that she found some weird RPG box from her father's childhood. When I asked her which one (still sitting on that toilet), she replied "Schwerter & Dämonen, or something".

I never wiped faster in my life.

An author send me the PDF after I'd participated in a discussion about the mechanics, and pointed out some things that might have become a problem;).

Quote from: Nerzenjäger;1001768I once was a huge Tunnels & Trolls fan (cooled on it over the last decade) and was searching for a deeply OOP and low print count German copy of the game from the early 80s. It came in a box and was retitled "Schwerter & Dämonen". So we're talking about a niche of a niche of a niche market product here. Seriously rare.

One day in 2010, I was visiting my then-girlfriend in Bavaria. I was in the process of taking a massive shit on her parents' toilet, while they were cleaning out their attic. Knowing of my fascination with RPGs, my girlfriend shouted that she found some weird RPG box from her father's childhood. When I asked her which one (still sitting on that toilet), she replied "Schwerter & Dämonen, or something".

I never wiped faster in my life.

Huh. A real gamer wouldn't have stopped to wipe at all.

Quote from: Schwartzwald;1001708I respect your dedication to being a gamer.

I should clarify that I wasn't doing the driving, my friend was driving. We visited I think three different stores in the Albany/Schenectady New York area before we found it.

Not a physical game but a PDF. When I was in the Doctor Who Adventures in Time and Space playtest I also somehow ended up in the playtest for Starblazer Adventures. I have never played Starblazer Adventures, I have never playtested Starblazer Adventures, but I got a free PDF and my name is in it as a playtester.

My wife used to work for a used bookstore chain.

One day, I came home from work to find an OD&D white box, including supplements I–IV, sitting on my bookshelf.

The store had bought it in from a customer, apparently without doing anywhere near enough research to realize its value, and before it had even been shelved, she spotted it and snatched it up for ten bucks.

Apparently, she had intended to hide it and give it to me on my birthday, but she just couldn't wait to see the look on my face.  (And I'm told that it was worth it.)

I once found a 'proof' copy of The World Tree at a yard sale. The sort of thing that says 'Not For Sale' on the cover. I now own it.

1) I found the hardcover player's book (The "Actor's Book of Characters") for the utterly bizarre 80s oddity World Action and Adventure mixed in with the children's books at a library sale. It was twenty-five cents.

One night I hanging around with a friend before a game. He spotted the book on my shelf and, knowing of the game's infamy, wanted to roll up a character. He rolled a "Thief". He then had to roll what sub-type of thief he was. He got "Rapist".

2) I once found a copy of the Bunnies & Burrows rulebook and a Fantasy Trip module buried among the old "Head" magazines at a hippy-ish record store.

I have a copy of Wraeththu that showed up on my doorstep one day in the mail.
I did not order it.
none of my friends ordered it for me.
at the time I received it, only one person knew I'd even read the original trilogy, and I'd not seen her in 15 years, and she doesn't know where I live.

I've tried reading it, but I get as far as finishing the opening fiction and get so mad that I have to put the book away for another year.

Quote from: remial;1002490I have a copy of Wraeththu that showed up on my doorstep one day in the mail.
I did not order it.
none of my friends ordered it for me.
at the time I received it, only one person knew I'd even read the original trilogy, and I'd not seen her in 15 years, and she doesn't know where I live.

I've tried reading it, but I get as far as finishing the opening fiction and get so mad that I have to put the book away for another year.

I would recommend not actually reading that fully. It might be  a Key to a place best left locked.