Tried this out with a new group of role players recently and we loved it. I'm glad it came with pregen characters and the charts to quickly reference the rules needed to get into the action quick. I initially thought it was going to be a quick game but leave it to the players to veer off the straighforward plot to turn the end into a cliffhanger with an exciting chase scene and blockade run. You don't need the core rulebook to figure things out but it certainly helps. Highly recommended for a fun night, even for newbies.