This is where the game starts. Everything two players need is in the box: thirteen characters, terrain to fight over, the dice and measuring tools, the Crisis cards that set the objectives, and the rulebook. Nothing else is required to play a full game the evening it arrives.What makes it a strong first purchase is the spread of the roster rather than the count. Captain America, Iron Man, Black Widow and Spider-Man cover Avengers, S.H.I.E.L.D. and Web Warriors; Red Skull, Baron Zemo, Crossbones, Ultron and Winter Soldier cover Cabal, Hydra and Criminal Syndicate; Doc Ock brings Spider Foes and Captain Marvel brings A-Force. Two people can each build a legal, affiliated squad on day one and argue about which is better, which is the whole game in miniature.The honest caveat is scale. Thirteen miniatures plus twenty-six terrain pieces is a real assembly and painting commitment before your table looks its best, so budget time as well as money. There is no shortcut here, but it is also the cheapest route to a complete two-player collection by a wide margin.From here, the affiliation packs tell you where to go next. Suitable for a complete beginner and still the best value in the range for an established player who wants a second set of terrain.