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THE FORCE IS WITH ME!! I FOUND THE ARK OF THE COVENANT!!
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Whill
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PostPosted: Mon May 30, 2016 8:31 pm    Post subject: THE FORCE IS WITH ME!! I FOUND THE ARK OF THE COVENANT!! Reply with quote

http://www.rancorpit.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=149170#149170

Whill wrote:
One Fall 87 night after school, I showed up for work and found two brand new RPG books...



Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game and The Star Wars Sourcebook!

...I sold my 1E SW Sourcebook when I got the 2E version, but I still have my original copy of the core RPG book I bought new in 1987. It's seen better days, but it's like my original Ten Commandments tablets that Moses destroyed when he came down the mountain. Cool

The first two WEG SW RPG books that started it all are the only ones I have ever written my name on the inside cover, with a ultra-fine black felt-tip marker my mom had when I was in high school. In the mid-90s, as I bought 2e editions of 1e books, I sold the 1e editions to local used book stores to not have any unnecessary duplication in my collection. In 1994 I graduated from college and lived with my college sweetheart in a nearby town to our school in southeastern Ohio. That's where I sold my copy of The SW Sourcebook 1e after getting the 2e version. In recent years, for sentimental reasons I've felt regret about getting rid of it.

2 decades later I live in central Ohio with several Half Price Books stores. Every year on Memorial Day weekend they have a 20% off everything in the store sale. I usually have things going on or get into other projects so end up skipping it. But today, on my last day of the 4-day sale, it popped into my mind that I should go, even though I just had just gone to Half-Price recently and didn't find anything I wanted. So I went to the nearest store which is the same one I went to last week, and did find a couple religious history books up my ally in good condition for a good price, so I picked those up. (Side note: They actually had 6 different issues of SW Adventure Journal in good shape starting at $5.99 before discount, but of course I have them all).

Then as I got into my car to go home, the idea popped into head that I should also go to the next closest Half Price, which also happens to be the biggest one in my city. So I trek on down there and on a display by the front door full of Captain America stuff I found a $3 Falcon action figure for my son. Then on my way back to the RPG books I felt a strange urge to check out a section I don't go to that often which has books about films and music artists. While looking at some Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movie books, something caught my eye in the next shelf - It was a copy of the 1e SW Sourcebook, in the completely wrong section of the store. I have seen a few copies in the RPG sections of Half-Price stores over the years (That is probably what lead to me regret getting rid of mine). I suddenly realized that without even thinking about it, I had pulled the book off the shelf and was just holding it in my hands. It had a $9.99 sticker price dated 3-11-16. Then I thought, 'Wouldn't it be funny if this was my old copy?' as I opened the cover...

And there it was. My name, comma, 1987. I don't know how long I stood there dumbfounded with my mouth wide open - this - is - my - book - but when I realized it, I suppressed the urge to yell out loud in the store. OVER 100 MILES AWAY AND 22 YEARS LATER, *MY* 1E SW SOURCEBOOK FOUND ITS WAY BACK TO ME!!

I took a deep breath, collected myself and continued shopping, keeping a tight grip on my book. I was lucky enough to also find a '70s hardback copy of Tales of Power by Carlos Castaneda (George Lucas' primary inspiration for The Force) in good shape with only a $4.48 sticker price. After I finished looking around the store and didn't find anything else, I got my 20% off discount at the register and drove home to tell my family this wondrous tale.

Now my original 1e SW Sourcebook is reunited with his brother from 1987, my 1e core RPG book. They both have my name with that ultra-fine felt tip marker in about the same place at the top of the inside cover. Looking through the Sourcebook, I can see some pencil notations I had made in my childhood in the 80s. The wear on the Sourcebook is still nearly identical to the wear on its brother (by far the two worst conditioned WEG SW books I have) from lugging them around in a backpack. When I started running my first SW campaigns, these two books were the only two that had even been released. They belong together!

This all seems like a dream. This nerd is very happy. The Force is with me!
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garhkal
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PostPosted: Tue May 31, 2016 12:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wow.. what a find!!!
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Dredwulf60
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PostPosted: Tue May 31, 2016 6:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

IT BELONGS IN A MUSEUM!!!
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cheshire
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PostPosted: Tue May 31, 2016 9:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

That is the most amazing find ever.
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Naaman
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PostPosted: Tue May 31, 2016 10:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Unbelievable... I've sometimes wondered how many times the same dollar bill has passed through my hands...
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MrNexx
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 01, 2016 11:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

That's amazing.
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Whill
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Joined: 14 Apr 2008
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 09, 2016 12:43 am    Post subject: Re: THE FORCE IS WITH ME!! I FOUND THE LOST ARK!! Reply with quote

Whill wrote:
I was lucky enough to also find a '70s hardback copy of Tales of Power by Carlos Castaneda (George Lucas' primary inspiration for The Force) in good shape with only a $4.48 sticker price.



I've confirmed my copy is actually a first printing - Over 40 years old hardback with dust cover, in great shape except the expected yellowing of the pages.

I had found the author's first book in a dumpster on move-out day in college one year back in the 90s. I had taken some trash down to the dumpster and right there at eye level, on top in a box of books was the first book in good shape and clean with no garbage goo on it. I grabbed it and later read it.

I figured that finding this 1st printing of the fourth Castaneda book on the same day as my original SW Sourcebook was the Will of the Force, so I just started reading it. I've already gotten to places in the book the don says "we are luminous beings" and something to the effect of 'Clear your mind of questions.'

The books are about shamanism. Has anyone else read any Castaneda books?
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Pel
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PostPosted: Thu May 30, 2019 12:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

That's awesome, Whill. Heartfelt congratulations, and thank you for the inspiring tale of how your beloved book came back.
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Whill
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PostPosted: Thu May 30, 2019 10:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Pel wrote:
That's awesome, Whill. Heartfelt congratulations, and thank you for the inspiring tale of how your beloved book came back.

You're welcome but I didn't really go into the inspirational aspects (like synchronicity and karma). A lot of people would just call it luck. Others would say there's no such thing as luck.

Cool
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Pel
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PostPosted: Thu May 30, 2019 10:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Dude, the Force was with you!
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Whill
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PostPosted: Tue May 31, 2022 1:34 pm    Post subject: Re: THE FORCE IS WITH ME!! I FOUND THE ARK OF THE COVENANT!! Reply with quote

Whill wrote:
http://www.rancorpit.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=149170#149170

Whill wrote:
One Fall 87 night after school, I showed up for work and found two brand new RPG books...



Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game and The Star Wars Sourcebook!

...I sold my 1E SW Sourcebook when I got the 2E version, but I still have my original copy of the core RPG book I bought new in 1987. It's seen better days, but it's like my original Ten Commandments tablets that Moses destroyed when he came down the mountain. Cool

The first two WEG SW RPG books that started it all are the only ones I have ever written my name on the inside cover, with a ultra-fine black felt-tip marker my mom had when I was in high school. In the mid-90s, as I bought 2e editions of 1e books, I sold the 1e editions to local used book stores to not have any unnecessary duplication in my collection. In 1994 I graduated from college and lived with my college sweetheart in a nearby town to our school in southeastern Ohio. That's where I sold my copy of The SW Sourcebook 1e after getting the 2e version. In recent years, for sentimental reasons I've felt regret about getting rid of it.

2 decades later I live in central Ohio with several Half Price Books stores. Every year on Memorial Day weekend they have a 20% off everything in the store sale. I usually have things going on or get into other projects so end up skipping it. But today, on my last day of the 4-day sale, it popped into my mind that I should go, even though I just had just gone to Half-Price recently and didn't find anything I wanted. So I went to the nearest store which is the same one I went to last week, and did find a couple religious history books up my ally in good condition for a good price, so I picked those up. (Side note: They actually had 6 different issues of SW Adventure Journal in good shape starting at $5.99 before discount, but of course I have them all).

Then as I got into my car to go home, the idea popped into head that I should also go to the next closest Half Price, which also happens to be the biggest one in my city. So I trek on down there and on a display by the front door full of Captain America stuff I found a $3 Falcon action figure for my son. Then on my way back to the RPG books I felt a strange urge to check out a section I don't go to that often which has books about films and music artists. While looking at some Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movie books, something caught my eye in the next shelf - It was a copy of the 1e SW Sourcebook, in the completely wrong section of the store. I have seen a few copies in the RPG sections of Half-Price stores over the years (That is probably what lead to me regret getting rid of mine). I suddenly realized that without even thinking about it, I had pulled the book off the shelf and was just holding it in my hands. It had a $9.99 sticker price dated 3-11-16. Then I thought, 'Wouldn't it be funny if this was my old copy?' as I opened the cover...

And there it was. My name, comma, 1987. I don't know how long I stood there dumbfounded with my mouth wide open - this - is - my - book - but when I realized it, I suppressed the urge to yell out loud in the store. OVER 100 MILES AWAY AND 22 YEARS LATER, *MY* 1E SW SOURCEBOOK FOUND ITS WAY BACK TO ME!!

I took a deep breath, collected myself and continued shopping, keeping a tight grip on my book. I was lucky enough to also find a '70s hardback copy of Tales of Power by Carlos Castaneda (George Lucas' primary inspiration for The Force) in good shape with only a $4.48 sticker price. After I finished looking around the store and didn't find anything else, I got my 20% off discount at the register and drove home to tell my family this wondrous tale.

Now my original 1e SW Sourcebook is reunited with his brother from 1987, my 1e core RPG book. They both have my name with that ultra-fine felt tip marker in about the same place at the top of the inside cover. Looking through the Sourcebook, I can see some pencil notations I had made in my childhood in the 80s. The wear on the Sourcebook is still nearly identical to the wear on its brother (by far the two worst conditioned WEG SW books I have) from lugging them around in a backpack. When I started running my first SW campaigns, these two books were the only two that had even been released. They belong together!

This all seems like a dream. This nerd is very happy. The Force is with me!

This popped up in my Facebook memories. Six years ago yesterday, I was serendipitously reunited with my original copy of the 1e Star Wars Sourcebook, after selling it over 20 years prior!
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Narmer
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 14, 2022 2:53 am    Post subject: Re: THE FORCE IS WITH ME!! I FOUND THE ARK OF THE COVENANT!! Reply with quote

Whill wrote:
http://www.rancorpit.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=149170#149170

Whill wrote:
One Fall 87 night after school, I showed up for work and found two brand new RPG books...



Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game and The Star Wars Sourcebook!

...I sold my 1E SW Sourcebook when I got the 2E version, but I still have my original copy of the core RPG book I bought new in 1987. It's seen better days, but it's like my original Ten Commandments tablets that Moses destroyed when he came down the mountain. Cool

The first two WEG SW RPG books that started it all are the only ones I have ever written my name on the inside cover, with a ultra-fine black felt-tip marker my mom had when I was in high school. In the mid-90s, as I bought 2e editions of 1e books, I sold the 1e editions to local used book stores to not have any unnecessary duplication in my collection. In 1994 I graduated from college and lived with my college sweetheart in a nearby town to our school in southeastern Ohio. That's where I sold my copy of The SW Sourcebook 1e after getting the 2e version. In recent years, for sentimental reasons I've felt regret about getting rid of it.

2 decades later I live in central Ohio with several Half Price Books stores. Every year on Memorial Day weekend they have a 20% off everything in the store sale. I usually have things going on or get into other projects so end up skipping it. But today, on my last day of the 4-day sale, it popped into my mind that I should go, even though I just had just gone to Half-Price recently and didn't find anything I wanted. So I went to the nearest store which is the same one I went to last week, and did find a couple religious history books up my ally in good condition for a good price, so I picked those up. (Side note: They actually had 6 different issues of SW Adventure Journal in good shape starting at $5.99 before discount, but of course I have them all).

Then as I got into my car to go home, the idea popped into head that I should also go to the next closest Half Price, which also happens to be the biggest one in my city. So I trek on down there and on a display by the front door full of Captain America stuff I found a $3 Falcon action figure for my son. Then on my way back to the RPG books I felt a strange urge to check out a section I don't go to that often which has books about films and music artists. While looking at some Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movie books, something caught my eye in the next shelf - It was a copy of the 1e SW Sourcebook, in the completely wrong section of the store. I have seen a few copies in the RPG sections of Half-Price stores over the years (That is probably what lead to me regret getting rid of mine). I suddenly realized that without even thinking about it, I had pulled the book off the shelf and was just holding it in my hands. It had a $9.99 sticker price dated 3-11-16. Then I thought, 'Wouldn't it be funny if this was my old copy?' as I opened the cover...

And there it was. My name, comma, 1987. I don't know how long I stood there dumbfounded with my mouth wide open - this - is - my - book - but when I realized it, I suppressed the urge to yell out loud in the store. OVER 100 MILES AWAY AND 22 YEARS LATER, *MY* 1E SW SOURCEBOOK FOUND ITS WAY BACK TO ME!!

I took a deep breath, collected myself and continued shopping, keeping a tight grip on my book. I was lucky enough to also find a '70s hardback copy of Tales of Power by Carlos Castaneda (George Lucas' primary inspiration for The Force) in good shape with only a $4.48 sticker price. After I finished looking around the store and didn't find anything else, I got my 20% off discount at the register and drove home to tell my family this wondrous tale.

Now my original 1e SW Sourcebook is reunited with his brother from 1987, my 1e core RPG book. They both have my name with that ultra-fine felt tip marker in about the same place at the top of the inside cover. Looking through the Sourcebook, I can see some pencil notations I had made in my childhood in the 80s. The wear on the Sourcebook is still nearly identical to the wear on its brother (by far the two worst conditioned WEG SW books I have) from lugging them around in a backpack. When I started running my first SW campaigns, these two books were the only two that had even been released. They belong together!

This all seems like a dream. This nerd is very happy. The Force is with me!


This is the first time I've read this story. Wow! Just...Wow!
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Whill
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 14, 2022 1:11 pm    Post subject: Re: THE FORCE IS WITH ME!! I FOUND THE ARK OF THE COVENANT!! Reply with quote

Narmer wrote:
This is the first time I've read this story. Wow! Just...Wow!

I swear that is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me Force. Including the description of the odd feelings that compelled me to do something for no clear reason, which lead my to the book. Those intuitions have occurred on other occasions in my life, but they certainly do not happen to me every day. This appeared to be textbook Jungian descriptions of synchronicity.

The one that happens most often is the connection my wife and I seem to have. Things like, I will often look down at my cell phone to see if I missed any calls or texts (I keep the volume down very low due to my job). As soon as I confirm that I did not miss any calls or texts, my phone will suddenly ring and it is my wife calling. This started happening after my wife and I moved into together, before we even got married. It still happens and my son has often been a witness to it, amazing him. Sometimes when she is later than expected getting home, it just pops into my head to say to him, "Mom should be home soon" right before she walks in the door (when the furnace is running, and my son is playing video games or we are down in the basement, so I couldn't have possibly heard her coming). Sometimes I will just absentmindedly walk to the door and open it, to see her driving into the neighborhood. It seems uncanny to others, but those are more common experiences that happen to us about every week. We are quite used to it after all these years so it doesn't seem extraordinary to us anymore.

However, me just happening to find my copy of my book, over 100 miles away and 22 years later, that I just happen to notice out of the corner of my eye in the wrong place of a bookstore I had only gone to after a sequence of unexplainable feelings, is truly special!
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fogger1138
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 14, 2022 5:14 pm    Post subject: Re: THE FORCE IS WITH ME!! I FOUND THE ARK OF THE COVENANT!! Reply with quote

I really miss Half Price Books from when I lived in Columbus. LOVED that store, found lots of great bargains back when eBay and online shopping wasn't the thing that it is now. Never a book that I'd previously owned, though - this is an amazing story!
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DougRed4
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 15, 2022 4:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

This honestly belongs on something like Ripley's Believe it or Not! Shocked
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