(Full disclosure: I backed the kickstarter for this book, and have been using the released drafts to work systems and ideas into my campaign for months now.)

First Note: YOU DON'T HAVE TO PLAY ACKS TO USE THIS BOOK (though to be honest, you probably should ;). If you play OSE, LL, B/X, or anything built off the same framework, most of the contents of this book can be used as-is.

Highlights: 1) ACKS' s unique take on "race as class" demonstrates its full value here: there are enough dwarven racial classes to run an entire all-dwarf campaign, easily. Each of them was playtested thoroughly (even did some myself) and are balanced with each other, as well as the "standard" classes you'll find in ACKS (or B/X, what have you). My personal favorites: sporecaster (dwarf fungus master with a surprising breadth of abilities), tombsealer (anti-undead dwarf fighter-type whose few unique abilities can come in quite handy in any dungeon session), rhetor (dwarfven barrister with more combat and campaign utility than one might expect from a member of the legal profession), and the dwarven machinist (see below).

2) The machinist and automaton rules are worth the price of admission alone. I'm not kidding. They are that good and that comprehensive, and in usual Autarch fashion, the numbers actually line up. I've already spent a lot of time monkeying with construct builds, the system scratches the same itch that Battletech design/customization does.

3) Gnostic magic - different enough from bog-standard D&D magic, yet close enough that it doesn't feel totally out of place in a "D&D" style world. The system was adapted from the "ceremonial" magic system in Autarch's Heroic Fantasy Handbook, which came out several years ago, and therefore has had plenty of time to have any rough edges filed off.

4) Presentation: The PDF looks great, the layout and trade dress are distinctive and easy on the eyes. I can't wait for my hardbound copy!

I would recommend a purchase to anyone who plays (and especially DMs) any sort of "OSR" system, you'll find plenty of ideas and mechanics to mine even if you don't adopt it wholesale. I'm not entirely sure what value (aside from the lore and "fluff") this book would have if you play the current iteration of WotC's system (or Paizo's, etc), so if you're dead-set on sticking with those systems, you might not get the same amount of utility that I have. Caveat Emptor.

I grew up in the 80s playing Marvel Super Heroes and Mayfair's DC Heroes, and later got into Champions in college. Ascendant manages to take the best of each of those systems and goes far beyond, offering a totally comprehensive supers system that actually makes mathematical sense. The only way I could think to improve it would be with supplemental materials such as a chargen program - point buy paralysis is an issue with more casual players. The system itself though? Extremely well thought-out, logical, and easy once you "get" the basic mechanic. I really cannot imagine trying to use another system for superheroic gaming after digesting Ascendant. It's just that good.

Best BX-engine system on the market, infinitely expandable and modular, been running campaigns with it for over 4 years and will continue to do so. This system belongs on every serious DM's shelf, even if only to grab subsystems from while running another game. Must have.

This is going to be a short review.

If you buy RPG books to read, to inspire you, to marvel at, to put on your shelf and feel satisfied that you are displaying System X, then don't buy this book.

If you play ANY version of D&D, and want material that you will get actual use out of in actual sessions of actual play, then stop reading this and buy the book. Now. 5 stars, no contest. You don't even need to read it. Just buy it and skim the contents to see what it offers, then keep it by your side while you run your sessions. You will end up USING it, and you will end up LOVING it.

Play value vs monetary investment, this is the best RPG purchase I've ever made.