Ronin Books

I was reluctant, at first, to get this book. However, after getting it, I regreted not getting it sooner. If one does not utilize each and every setting in the book, it is a great example of how to customize the Tr20 rules to any setting.
I am currently running a campaign in the Lands of the Crane setting depicted in the book and my players love it.

A must buy for any Tr20 player who is adapting the Tr20 rules to their own, customized campaign. As well as a great resource for those last minute games. A game set in the Blood Throne could probably be set up while characters are creating their characters, which does not take that long with the Tr20 rules.

I was looking forward to this book. True20 is a great modification of standard d20 rules. This book features 5 new settings to use. Each was designed by a different group with the hopes of publishing further books for the setting. As such, it is a glorified sampler book, with no one section worth the pricetag and the five settings being so at odds ith each other that it is doubtful that anyone can use more than 2-3 of them at the most. Buyers would be better off just buying the eventual stand-alone books for the settings.

Even the settings are, for the most part, humdrum. the "Agents of Oblivion" is just Dark Matter revisited. "Blood Throne" is just a bunch of cliches thrown together in a not realy interesting way. "Land of the Crane" is not much different than the scores of other Oriental Adventures published for d20 already, mostly because its creators are already planning 4-5 supplements. "Nevermore" trys to be more than it is, but simply can not hope to hook most into the setting. The best of the settings is the last, "Razor in the Apple" where one roleplays kids who find out that monsters do indeed exist and they must do something about them without getting eaten or getting in too much trouble with Mom and Dad. But at only 20 pages, it is just the start, and what one doss in a RitA campaign is left too vague.

Add to this the fact that the feats are scattered throughout the book, and most are too setting-specific for wide use, and this is a book best left to the bargain bins.

I respect Loyd Auerbach immensely, but the chapters in this book are so longwinded when it comes to psi abilities that it leaves non-psychic investigators out of the loop. I understand that Mr. Auerbach is a mentalist but when writing a book with the subcaption: How to Investigate the paranormal, you'd expect it to be for people of non-psychic ability as well.
Overall the book is informative if you have "medium" abilities but does little for the regular investigative scientist.

I was hoping to get much more from this book based on the author's reputation, but the material is basic at best. It's more of a Ghost Hunting 101 pre-course. What was extremely irritating about this book was the number of typos. It seemed almost every page contained a typo that any fifth grader could have picked up on. The horrible editing on this book was a real distraction.

This book was pretty boring to me and very difficult to stay interested in. I didn't really get much out of it that I haven't found in other books that are more interesting and exciting to read.

This book is a total cash-in for Auerbach. His investigations are completely non-critical, the tips he shares are common-sense at best, and a cloying sense of self-importance permeates the entire book. The goofy "Halloween at the local elementary school" illustrations give the general public one more reason to look at paranormal investigators as New-Agey Shaggy and Scooby wannabe's. Thanks Loyd.

Having just joined an established paranormal research group, I wanted to read some books on the actual process of investigations, so I would have a better idea of what to do while out on the field. I've spent much of my life studying paranormal phenomena, but up until now, have not been able to get hands on, so to speak.

This book is exactly what I was looking for, as it covers everything from how to use the equipment to conducting interviews with potential clients. It is very detailed and informative for anyone who takes this subject as seriously as I do, and while some of the reading is rather dry, or even slow paced; the fact is, you can immediately put this stuff into practice when going out on an investigation, hence my reasoning for the five star rating.

Any amateur can take a camcorder and a voice recorder and claim to be a ghost hunter; but if you want to make this a serious endeavour by starting your own group, or joining an existing one, you owe it to yourself to read this book first. You'll learn quite a bit from 'professor paranormal'.

I found this book to be very informative as I usually have a brown thumb when trying to get anything to grow. This book takes you step by step on your way to growing the plants from sprouts to nice little mushrooms. It gives you lots of knowledge on the use of the substance grown and how to produce it using very little space.

This was an interesting little read, though I don't know if I learned much useful information except that raising mushrooms seems to be a super-tedious task. The author writes as if the reader is supposed to know what the heck he's talking about, but I sure didn't. Perhaps someone with some laboratory know-how would find this book informative, perhaps not. Since I'm not a lab person, I don't know if his methodology is practical or not.

This book is filled with misinformation. It is clear that he has no experience growing mushrooms. Several procedures have zero chance of success and are fundamentally flawed and the others are outdated techniques.

He likes to write in a confusing style that makes it sound like he knows what he's talking about, when in fact he does not.

This book is useless. The book contains information that only a scientist would use, but the book is written so poorly that one wouldn't use it. The book contains about 3 pages of information on growing mushrooms, the rest of the book is talking about setting up like a 1000sq.ft. lab and extracting psilocybin to make acid, with chemicals that you can't even get!

Just so we are clear, THIS BOOK DOES NOT CONTAIN MUSHROOM GROWING INFORMATION.

This book is good for anyone who has interest in the topic but is not familiar with it. Pretty Short, but in general a good book. Very interesting although you may need more sources to start on growing mushrooms.

I'm a bit hesitant to write a review of NOCTURNALS: A MIDNIGHT COMPANION. It's an award-winning gaming book and resource to the roleplaying game Mutants & Masterminds. It's also an introduction to Dan Bereton's The Nocturnals. I've thought a lot about how to put this in the best possible light, so here goes.

Most of NOCTURNALS is a review of the graphic novels by Dan Bereton on the Nocturnals, a gang of misfits from a wide array of origins including other dimensions, genetic engineering labs, and ancient races under the sea. The plot so far is revealed and all major characters have bios. The artwork is taken from the graphic novels, and stunning is perhaps the only word to describe it. It's truly impressive and I wish I had a better understanding of art history to describe the style. There is also an original comic titled "Spectres" to give you an idea of one of Dan Bereton's graphic novels.

The gaming aspect of NOCTURNALS describes the location of Pacific City, who the major players are, and what goes on after the sun goes down. the system is d20 for compatibility with MUTANTS AND MASTERMINDS. There are sample characters to use, and feats and weapons more appropriate for the setting. There is also a chapter on setting mood, choosing a theme, and how to play within the setting.

The part that focuses on Dan Bereton's work is very nice. After reading about his Nocturnals, I was tempted to go out and buy his books myself! Unfortunately, the author of NOCTURNALS: A MIDNIGHT COMPANION hasn't done a great job of condensing and summarizing the series; you have to know what to pick, and what to leave out. Well, what you get is entirely too much "they're not afraid of anything", "they don't concern themselves with what other people think", "they don't take crap from anyone".

That translates into the problem with using NOCTURNALS as a game supplement - the characters, as presented, are nigh-invulnerable, endowed with a wide array of supernatural powers, have above-average strength, intelligence, stamina, and attractiveness, have access to a lot of money and a super headquarters, are above the law, and most of their adventures are driven and ended by unexplained magic/supernatural intervention. Either the Nocturnals are not portrayed accurately, or else who would want to roleplay as them? They're better than humans in every way possible except for their extremely tragic backgrounds. Real people have flaws beyond "I'm so superior to other people that they bore me" - what's the point of playing someone more strong, attractive, intelligent, powerful, and rich than everyone else, with magic, artifacts, and control over spirits? It might sound neat on paper, but within a game where can the character go except to "even more awesomer!" ?

The part of NOCTURNALS that describes the creation of Dan Bereton is fantastic and reflects on his skill as an artist. It should inspire people to buy more of his work. Trying to extend his characters to a game supplement seems ill-fated - some great books just can't be made into good movies, and I'm afraid that the world of the Nocturnals is not well-suited for roleplaying.

This is a very pretty book that reads like the worst gamer geek telling you about how cool his character/campaign is. It opens with blow by blow accounts of several Nocturnals books that show why some stories are better as comics than prose.
I'd like to give it the benefit of the doubt and say that Nocturnals fans (I've not ever read them) might enjoy it, but from a straight gaming perspective it was less than useful.

I picked up Dan Brereton's Nocturals the other day because it had additional rules for Mutants & Masterminds in it. I knew it detailed out a supernatural-style setting, but I did not know much more about the book.

The book is definitely much more.

It is more than a role-playing supplement. The book is a guide to the world Dan Brereton uses for his comic books, the Nocturnals and Gunwitch. I delved into the book, and I was absorbed by the artwork, the details about the setting as well as the comic included in the book. I found myself wanting to know more about the Brereton's work. I bought Nocturnals: The Dark Forever from a local comic shop.

I know it sounds like the book does not have as much application to Mutants & Masterminds as one might think. Yeah, you have a number of pages on examples of "replacement Nocturnals" and some new feats. The stats of the comic characters and mooks are also supplied. However, there is more to the book than "how to play a Nocturnals game."

Several pages discuss the facets of the Nocturnals' setting and breaks it down to its key elements. It is rather interesting and helps enrich any gamemaster's sense of setting development. Additionally, variant settings are proposed, providing seeds that one may follow to their own ends.

The book does an excellent job in providing a view of the supernatural/occult genre of comic books. You have an in depth view of Brereton's work, but the view does not end there. I would recommend this book as a worthwhile supplement for Mutants & Masterminds as well as good material for an occult-style campaign. Finally, if you are a Nocturnals fan, it is a must have!

the 'Midnight Companion' is pretty, it's a valuable gaming resource for gamers, but more importantly, its a lavishly illustrated insiders' view of the world created by author and NOCTURNALS creator Dan Brereton. Its clear Brereton opened up the vault of secrets, without sacrificing the ambiance that captivates fans of the trade paperbacks this companion guide serves. 'A Midnight Companion' won three ENnies last summer- the top gaming industry awards, for best art direction, best licensed gaming product and best interior art.

The Midnight Companion is also a gorgeous art book in its own right. Brereton and a hand-picked group of illustrator peers provided beautiful drawings and paintings to great effect. these never been a gaming sourcebook that looked like this; sketchbook selections, and art on every single page. simply a treat for the eyes.

in addition to all this, Brereton introduces a dozen new characters, a handful of which appear the book's high point, an 18-page comic story called 'Spectres', that finds the Nocturnals facing off with The Murder, a gang of evil spirits who've escaped Hell. Look out for new villian, "Rictus", easily the creepiest Nocturnals villian to date.

I love this book, and have bought several copies for friends desperate to borrow and thumb through my own.

Ths sourcebook is filled with great art, intriging settings and a plethora of information on everyone's favorite midnight defenders. The book includes an original story that leaves you with a cliff hanger to run with. Characters in the world of Nocturnals are designed to be a little less powerful than your typical Mutants and Masterminds heroes, which is good for the pulp-style that pervades the beloved comic book series.
Most of the text is statistic free, with the exception of the last section, which is filled with stats on every character in the book. I think the rational is if you are not a gamer you don't have to sift through the rules to get to the story. IN my opinion, the character generation portion was kind of weak (as I was looking forward to getting the skinny on some creepy powers). Unfortunatly that did not happen. Other than that weakness, the book is great for comic and game fans alike.

This book provides good information layed out in an easy to read format on the cultivation, consumption, legality, and history of peyote and other similar cacti. It also gives a breakdown of the alkaloids in peyote and gives detailed methods for mescaline extraction (you know...for resaerch purposes). It also includes pictures and descriptions of other cacti containing alkaloids similar to peyote. The only shortcoming I find in this book is the lack of any research reports on the harmful effects of peyote, but that could be because there has been very little research done on it. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in peyote for any purpose.

I recently bought this book after purchasing a few Lophophora specimens, and was somewhat dissappointed. Much of the information is sparse or inaccurate, and overall you come away having learned little. It is vague in describing the effects and chemistry of the plant, and minimal effort is made to try and describe different species and varieties.

A much better book to buy would be "Peyote: The Divine Cactus", by Edward F. Anderson. It gives a detailed ethnographic history of peyote, describing the modern ceremonies of the Navajo, Plains, Huichol, and many other Indian Tribes. He studies its effects on humans in detail, its chemistry, legal aspects of peyote, and (most importantly!) the botany of Peyote, giving a comprehensive view of the species as well as its different taxonomic varieties (eg. L. williamsi, L. diffusa, L. jourdania, L. fricii, L. decipiens, etc.). Much of the information contained within cannot be found on the internet.

Although most of Gottlieb's material is dealt with in Anderson's book, nevertheless the practical information on grafting and mescaline extration is much more detailed in Gottlieb's (probably because of the different target audiences :-)

All in all, still good to have as an accompaniment.

This book is ok, if you want to learn about native use and things like that. It has good descriptions of lots of rare entheogenic cacti. If all you want to know how to do, is cultivate Lophophora and Tichocerous, the internet has better information.

Ronin Ro's Gangsta is much better than Have Gun Will Travel. Ro's writing was more artistic, and had more feeling. He spent most of this book reflecting on the future of America and music and the nature of life and death. Portions of the book were heart-rending; some were hilarious; others were unbelievable. This book showed me where most of the rap-writing styles out there today came from. Ronin was at his best in this book.

The author knows that NWA started gangsta rap and not much else. After a promising, well-written introduction, the rest of the book is sheer disappointment. Ro writes about his sexual exploits, his alcoholism, his brother's suicide, and his crush on a young Japanese girl. In short, everything except gangsta rap. The introduction was well worth reading twice, but not worth special oredering this poor attempt at attacking the subject.

The book, sorry to say, is not worth the investment. there is nothing new there, nothing that any other book on growing in this method would not provide.

Had very little resources on harvesting and preparing the buds. The book was worth reading and was good for beginers starting out on growing.

Itz a pretty basic intro into the topic. I was looking for more
depth though ,but itz a start and I didnt really see enything else out there on this topic.....

Empirical observation of the recreational use of this long abused drug is overdue. It is good to see that the author is bringing information about this drug to the public. Even recreational users of this drug are often ignorant of the abuse potential, side effects, and frequency of its use.

Yes, this GM screen has all the useful stats a GM would want on a screen. The artwork is nice too. However the stock it is made of is pathetically cheap. More like a thin index card than a typical GM screen. If you are used to White Wolf, TSR, or Wizards of the Coast GM screens, you will be sorely disappointed.

Beautifull art on the screen. And the charts inside are a must for any serious GM of M&M.

Christopher McGlothlin delivers another epic adventure for Mutants & Masterminds. My favorite parts of the adventure, beyond the plethora of exotic menaces, are its ties to Freedom City--the premier setting for Mutants & Masterminds. There's enough material in this one adventure to help you get your M&M game up and running----and for time-constrained gamemasters like myself, the availability of published adventures dictates whether or not my group can play Mutants & Masterminds at all.

I hope that Green Ronin can find a format for published adventures that is profitable and allows them to publish books like these more frequently.

A longueur is a dull and tedious portion (usually of a book) and this adventure has plenty of them. The players are supposed to battle the 10 plagues of Egypt and solve the mystery of who is causing them but there are flaws. Here are the big ones:

1. The players are supposed to investigate to uncover clues of how to defeat the plagues, but they must be in the exact right place at the right time and ask the right question and make the DC 30 roll to actually get the answers they need. It felt like trying to play one of those text based games (push the rock, no, shove the rock, no, kick the rock, no, move the rock, no, pull the rock, no, . . .)

2. The plagues are very repetitive in their design. All the bugs (fleas, flies and locusts) work almost exactly the same. All other plagues have giant area attacks of everyone within 300 feet make really high fortitude save. With so many powers, the writer should have been more inventive.

3. In the final fight you will either win by talking (and saying the exact right thing) or die horribly by life drain.

In short you will be better off saving your money and making your own game based on the plagues of Egypt.