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To Go is focused on an entire campaign, and generally presumes a fair degree of Nollidge on behalf of the characters. It's deeply Cosmic, and so you're going to need to know enough of the Occult Underground to get involved.
As such, an introductory campaign this aint.
You don't need a veteran character to survive, or at any rate I can't see how it'd make too much of a difference (except that you'd have more mental and physical scars and a longer police record).
Be warned: There could well be plot spoilers ahead, although I'll try to limit them.
TO GO
Further underlining that Unknown Armies spurns and mocks the endless status-quo of the oWoD, To Go is an exploration of what happens when the fundamental shape of the game-world changes due to the actions of one group. Potentially even one that the players have been or are part of, either as part of an ongoing campaign or in the past. As such, it's pretty resonant to fans of the game.
To Summarise:
1) Mak Attax, those whackily scattered occult utopians, have been dumping magick out into the world to (hopefully) bring about an awareness of magic and a burgeoning rennaissance. This is pretty much their raison d'etre.
2) The events of "Fly to Heaven" (See One Shots) symbolically and magickally made Chicago the heart of America, even if the events surrounding it failed.
3) That's a catalyst if ever there was one. Magick likes patterns and lines. Mak Attax outlets tend to follow the veins, nerves and arteries of America in the form of the highways and roads. As such, the magickal energy being dumped has made America develop chakras, centres of mystical energy.
4) Classically, chakras are associated with the Kundalini Serpent, which rises through the seven chakra as an individual reaches enlightenment.
5) That serpent is going to rise through the seven American chakra as the country begins to wake up, and is going to be the focal point of a magickal/mystical convergence best viewed from a long way distant if you value your life or sanity.
6) On the other hand, this is an opportunity to literally and mystically change the world. "Pfft, sanity? I call shotgun!"
The campaign will take you across the continental US, from LA to Washington DC - but not in a straight line.
My understanding is - and this may not be flawless - that To Go grew out of Break Today, the Mak Attax sourcebook. It was too long and detailed to satisfactorily include, so it was broken off into its own book. As such, it includes many of the movers and shakers introduced in Break Today, so the two books go well together. On the other hand, it isn't necessary to have both for To Go to work, as the major details are here without repeating much in the way of info-dumps.
The Usual Suspects.
This kind of Big Event is going to attract all comers, and To Go doesn't disappoint. We're dealing with a major three (or more) way Ascension war and all the trappings of serious mayhem.
The True King and the Messenger, along with their challengers or potential-challengers, want a slice of the pie. That brings in those archetypes in opposition to them, and those who want to stir the pot for nothing more than comedy value. And we haven't even introduced the PCs yet.
If you want to know what's up with Dermott Arkane, that whacky scamp, then this is the place for you. Eponymous even makes an appearance.
If none of this makes any sense to you, then I'd recommend starting somewhere else.
As you can see, To Go is a big, intricate and complicated campaign. With that said, the way it's broken up is very elegant.
The Chakra.
The way the campaign is structured turns each city-chakra into its own mission, and allows for a wide range of possible PC interaction and options.
They can be part of Mak Attax, or allied to one of the Archetypes butting-heads over possession of the mystical energy, or they can be wild-cards or anything in between. A Sleeper campaign where you're trying to keep all this in the dark could keep players on their toes.
Each chunk of the campaign affords a different challenge, such as mystical poker-games, unexpectedly dangerous court cases, or all out Mad Max highway brawls, which the PCs must involve themselves in. It makes for a wild and varied ride. They are clearly laid out with an overview of the mystical relevance of the city-chakra, and then a lowdown of what is happening and why it's important to who. Dramatis personae for each mission is listed at the end.
Overall?
The central dilemma of To Go is a feature rather than a bug for me: It's very morally grey. What do the PCs do? What's the best decision? They get to shape the world, and in typically UA fashion nothing comes without consequences.
America is mystically waking up. Excellent! What with America being such a well-rounded, utopian place.
The book actually discusses different interpretations of America that can be waking up, but the central idea is that everything from aspirations, ideals and id make it into the final package. The same is true of the people seeking to ascend.
There is no Good ending. From a narrative perspective, I think that's brilliant.
From a game perspective, I can't help but think it might make some players and PC groups indecisive. All the potential people to accept the power are equal bastards? All of them equal saints? Huh. Um.
I'm also not sure how I'd deal with it if a PC group wound up with differing views over who to support, which is entirely possible.
There is always the tie-break option that the party or one of the party will seek ascension themselves rather than one of the suggested options in the book. To Go certainly leaves room and gives cues/discussions for that option, but most of the weighting within the book is left to the three canon contenders. This is as it should be: the book has enough detail that GMs shouldn't feel lead by the nose, while certainly having enough to work with.
I will try to summarise it thus:
As a game, I think this would be spectacular.
Reading it as a book (for I admit this is what I have done, and have not played or run it) presents the game elements as a little intimidating, even as it fills me with Terrible Ideas.
Also, it is intricate enough that if you're looking for elements to lift out and paste/use-for-inspiration in your own games, I'd recommend Weep or One Shots instead, or the plot-seeds provided in the back of the three splatbooks.
To Go is a beautifully wrought, ambitious project. My central concern would be whether I was a competent enough GM to do it justice.
- The Unshaven.
