Underhanded Tactic V1.2 Torture, rape and adultery by vincentc. Version 1.01 by JordanDoes. Did you ever want to give a proper. Crusader Kings 2. This is a strategy game in which players expand their influence and manipulate political ties in medieval Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. As players increase their territories and foster relationships with various figures (popes, barons, kings, etc.), they can engage in military conflicts against opposing factions.

Crusader Kings II is the game that launched a thousand DLCs, and pretty much spawned an unprecedented system of post-release expansions that could see a game supported even five or six years after the original launch. It's the grand-strategy game that put the genre on the map and allowed for the mainstream success of future games such as EU4 and Stellaris.

Now, with Crusader Kings 3officially announced, it seems DLC support for CK2 is finally coming to end. But that still represents a library of extra stuff that comes with a hefty price-tag despite the base game going Free-to-Play. Across 15+ DLCs (if we’re just counting the major, gameplay-altering ones), you can expect to pay nearly $200 extra (at full price) to acquire the “full” experience. It's tough to digest if you’re just getting started, so we’ve broken down every DLC and whether we think it's worth your money.

Strategy Gamer is a Paradox Store affiliate, and we earn commission on any purchase made via that store. The below content is available on other platforms like Steam, although you get a steam key via the PDX store anyway.

SWORD OF ISLAM (2012) - $9.99

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Highlights:

Unlocks Muslim rulers (base CK2 only allows you to select Christian characters) with loads of new mechanics

• Decadence can cause your dynasty to collapse if you engage in immoral behavior.
• A new succession type for Muslim realms in which all legitimate sons have a shot at inheritance based on their prestige.
• Ability to have up to four wives.
• New CBs (reasons to go to war) specific to the Muslim world.
• Tons of new, Muslim-specific events and decisions, such as going on Hajj to Mecca.

Is it worth it?

As you’re going to discover with many CK2 expansions, it depends highly on whether or not you are interested in playing the new content it unlocks. You can play non-Muslim rulers forever and the fact that you don’t have this DLC installed will have no effect on you at all. They are a rather large, distinct, and interesting sphere of CK2’s world, however, and quite worth giving a spin if you’re looking for something different from feudal Catholic Europe.

LEGACY OF ROME (2012) - $4.99

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Highlights:

• New decisions and events for the Byzantine Empire, allowing them to restore the Roman Empire by capturing its former territories.
• Orthodox rulers can Mend the Schism, re-uniting the Western and Eastern halves of the church and rendering Roman Catholicism a heresy.
• A new army type called retinues, in contrast to feudal levies which must be called to war each time, represent standing armies like those of the Byzantines that exist on the map at all times and never need to be disbanded.

Is it worth it?

Absolutely. It’s only $5, and retinues are such an essential element of late game CK2 that you’re basically handicapping yourself by not having access to them. The other features are fairly specific to Byzantium and other Eastern Orthodox rulers, but retinues alone put Legacy of Rome on the essential list - especially since it tends to go for under $3 on sale.

SUNSET INVASION (2012) - $4.99

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Highlights:

• Adds an ahistorical invasion of technologically-advanced Aztecs who arrive from across the Atlantic to conquer Europe in the late game.
• Introduces Nahuatl culture and the Aztec pagan religion.

Is it worth it?

Encontre Contabilidade Basica Ricardo Ferreira Pdf - Livros, Revistas e Comics no Mercado Livre Brasil. Descubra a melhor forma de comprar online. Contabilidade Basica Ricardo J Ferreira Pdf Writer. 3/20/2017 0 Comments Title: O Estado de SP em PDF - Sabado 07082010, Author: Carlos Silva, Name: o-estado-de-sp-em-pdf-sabado-07082010, Length: 87 pages. O enigma da poesia Ferreira Gullar e seu novo livro, Em Alguma Parte Alguma. Ricardo Daniel; POLLONI, Enrico Giulio. Contabilidade basica ricardo j ferreira pdf printer online. Contabilidade Basica Ricardo J Ferreira Pdf Reader. 7/11/2017 0 Comments Pouco menos de quatro meses depois, estava aprovado, ficando em nono lugar entre os 8. Foi a primeira vez que estudei para concurso p. O objetivo n. Dito isso, vamos aos pontos que considero essenciais para ser aprovado em um concurso p. Em grego strateegia, em latim strategi.

As probably CK2’s most controversial expansion, and the only highly anachronistic one, that’s a bit of a loaded question. It’s probably the least essential expansion, and I play with it turned off the vast majority of the time. That being said, there is enjoyment to be had if you go in knowing you want an unrealistic and almost silly campaign that’s quite a bit different from what CK2 has to offer otherwise. It also puts pressure on Western Europe at a time when things can start to feel static, similar to the role the Mongols play in Eastern Europe.

THE REPUBLIC (2013) - $9.99

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Highlights:

• Unlocks playable merchant republics, such as Venice, Genoa, and the Hansa.
• Can build trade posts in other rulers’ provinces to extend their trade networks and get richer.
• Rather than playing a hereditary ruler, you play the head of one of a number of powerful families who try to influence elections to stay in power.
• Lots of new events specific to republics.

Is it worth it?

Like Sword of Islam, this one is entirely situational. You won’t see any of its effects if you only ever play feudal rulers. And given that there are a fairly small number of republics in the game’s timeframe, it opens up fewer, new options than most of the character-unlocking DLCs. Still, republics offer a rather unique way to play the game that can help keep things from feeling stale, especially for players who love to amass gold and spend it on cool stuff.

THE OLD GODS (2013) - $14.99

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Highlights:

• Unlocks playable pagans (Norse, Slavic, Suomenusko, and Romuva) and Zoroastrians with tons of new mechanics for each.
• Adds a new start date in 867, the height of the Viking Age.
• Lots of new Viking mechanics, such as coastal raids and being able to sail your longships up major rivers.
• Revolts are now led by a named leader character who can be captured, killed, or reasoned with like other rulers.
• Adventurers are a new AI character type, representing warriors with no land who gather an army and set off to conquer distant lands.
• Adds the ability to “reform” a pagan religion to make it more capable of competing with the Abrahamic faiths.
• Zoroastrians can restore the old Persian Empire by reclaiming it from the Muslim conquerors.

Is it worth it?

Absolutely. This is still probably my overall favorite CK2 expansion, though I admit that I’m heavily biased towards all things Norse pagan. The 867 start date is far more volatile and dynamic than 1066, with greater ahistorical possibilities, while not straying so far out of the feudal age that it feels like a bad fit for CK2’s mechanics -- which is the impression I often get from the even earlier 769 start added in the Charlemagne expansion, which we will discuss below. Pagans and Zoroastrians are a ton of fun, as are their respective mechanics for cementing their places in history.

SONS OF ABRAHAM (2013) - $9.99

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Highlights:

• Introduces the Catholic College of Cardinals, which can be manipulated to put a friendly Pope in power.
• Adds Judaism as a playable religion with new events, decisions, and mechanics.
• Two new Catholic holy orders.
• New holy orders for religions that didn’t have them already (such as Zoroastrians).
• The ability to borrow money from the Knights Templar/
• A huge number of new events, many for Abrahamic faiths.
• Christians can now go on pilgrimages to holy sites.
• Muslims can side with the Mutazilitie (science-focused) or Ashari (piety-focused) schools.
• Christians can force relatives and courtiers to take the vows and become a monk or a nun.

Is it worth it?

This is the first major expansion to expand on Catholic Europe, the area the game focused on at release. If that’s your thing, this one is borderline essential. The new holy orders make a big difference in making some previously bare bones religions feel fleshed-out. Judaism gets some pretty cool stuff, like being able to restore the Kingdom of Israel, which makes for a fun playthrough. And the new Muslim mechanics offer an interesting trade-off, allowing you to continue the scientific revolution of medieval Islam at the risk of potentially offending some of your more devout coreligionists. There’s something for everyone, but Muslim, Christian, and Jewish characters will get the most out of it.

RAJAS OF INDIA (2014) - $14.99

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Highights:

• Unlocks playing as the Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain rulers of the Indian subcontinent.
• Tons of events and decisions for the religions listed above.
• Members of Indian faiths are tolerant of one-another, so a Buddhist ruler isn’t obligated to convert his Hindu subjects.
• War elephant units for Indian rulers.

Is it worth it?

This one is very easy to ignore if you’re not particularly interested in the Indian subcontinent, especially given its relative distance and isolation from the rest of the map. The Indian religions are each flavorful and interesting, but to this day still feel less fleshed-out and more disconnected from the rest of the map. There’s plenty of enjoyment to be had, but it’s definitely among the least essential DLCs.

CHARLEMAGNE (2014) - $14.99

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Highlights:

• A new, even earlier start date of 769 AD, when Charlemagne was competing with his brother Karloman to rule over the Franks.
• A bunch of events and decisions tied to Charlemagne and Karloman that give a number of different ways for their fates to play out.
• Empires with sufficient legalism (like Byzantium) can now appoint titles to temporary governors called viceroys instead of handing them out as permanent, hereditary, feudal holdings.
• Adds the playable Zun religion.
• Can now create custom kingdoms and empires not based on historical ones if you own enough land.

Is it worth it?

I have mixed feelings about Charlemagne. At first, I loved the 769 start. But the more I’ve played it, the more two issues become apparent. One: CK2 was not designed to handle this time period. Two: 700 years (769 - 1444) is just too long to play a single campaign. I almost always get bored long before I’m finished, which makes the extra centuries more of a burden than a boon. The story events with Charlemagne are a lot of fun to play through a time or two, but leave the dozens of subsequent generations feeling less dramatic and dynamic. I find it hard to say this expansion isn’t worth ever getting. Quite the contrary. But I don’t consider it nearly as essential as I once did.

WAY OF LIFE (2014) - $7.99

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Highlights:

• Adds character focuses, such as War, Family, and Theology, that each have many associated events to flesh out the day-to-day life of your character.

Is it worth it?

It doesn’t sound like much, but the answer is definitely yes. No matter what kind of character you’re playing focuses can break up the monotony and add a greater sense of reality to the world, while helping to break up the long chunks of time when there might be nothing politically interesting going on. Some of the best events in CK2 came out of this DLC, and I’d have a hard time making myself play without it.

HORSE LORDS (2015) - $14.99

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Highlights:

• New playstyle for nomadic hordes that’s vastly different from their settled counterparts
  • Clans can vie for power to become the Great Khan.
  • Feudal holdings can be razed for pasture land, increasing the potential population of your horde.
  • New succession mechanics where only strong rulers can command respect, allowing vast hordes to collapse with the death of one man.
• Members of your court and family can now found mercenary bands and gather followers to fight with them for pay.
• Adds the Silk Road trade routes, which can be fortified with trade posts to give their owners more income.
• Can now force another ruler to become your tributary in war.

Is it worth it?

We’re back in firmly situational territory here. The hordes can be a ton of fun to play, but are really emblematic of what I see as the developers trying to “hack” CK2’s systems and make them do things they were never intended for. The somewhat awkward management of nomad holdings and governments can get you to wondering why they didn’t just make a new game about horse nomads, instead of trying to shoehorn them into a feudal incest simulator. If you don’t plan on playing as a horse nomad tribe or holding land along the Silk Road, you can definitely skip this one.

CONCLAVE (2016) - $14.99

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Highlights:

• Your ruler’s council now plays a much larger role, able to vote on certain issues and maneuver to gain more authority at the expense of the monarch.
• A new system of favors allows exchanges of resources for votes on the council.
• Powerful vassals will now be very unhappy if not on the council.
• Rework of regencies.
• New system for educating and influencing the traits/stats of young children.
• Rework of realm laws.
• Able to change laws defining the status of women in your society, giving them more equality over time.

Is it worth it?

For my money, absolutely. It was one of the more controversial expansions at launch due to the addition of some questionable features (and I was one of the loudest complainers!) that have since been revised and/or made toggleable game options. But the core of it, the new council mechanics, is fantastic. It brings new depth and strategy to internal politics, makes playing a vassal of a higher ruler much more fun, and more realistically simulates the simple fact that most rulers in the middle ages were not even close to being unchallenged, absolute monarchs. Getting your way is a lot more satisfying when you have to manipulate a bunch of people to do so.

THE REAPER’S DUE (2016) - $9.99

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Highlights:

• Rework of the disease system including symptoms, new diseases, and treatment options via a new appointed office called Court Physician.
• Epidemic diseases can depopulate a province, lowering income and manpower, which takes time to recover from.
• Rulers can now build hospitals in provinces, which protect to some extent against depopulation.
• Provinces that have not been ravaged by war or disease can now become prosperous, increasing income and manpower recovery.
• Crown Focus allows rulers to choose one of their provinces to focus on, increasing its prosperity.
• Tons of new events, including many related to the revamped Black Plague.
• Adds the ability to seal yourself in your castle to avoid an epidemic, triggering many new events related to isolation.
• New ways to torture and execute prisoners

Is it worth it?

Before Reaper’s Due, I was always complaining about how one of the most momentous, continent-changing events of the Middle Ages, the Black Death, was barely represented in CK2. Now, it’s much more of a world event with fanfare and unique mechanics. And while it still doesn’t trigger the kinds of cascading historical changes it did in the real world, it’s still nice to see it getting more recognition. The court physician and prosperity systems are also useful and interesting no matter whom you’re playing.

MONKS AND MYSTICS (2016) - $14.99

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Highlights:

• Adds Societies to the game, which characters can join and rise through the ranks of to gain access to new abilities.
  • The Hermetic society focuses on esoteric learning and the secrets of the cosmos.
  • Lucifer’s Own is devoted to Satan and gives its members dark powers to prolong their lives and harm their enemies
  • The Shia Hashashin are masters of murder and intimidation.
  • Monastic orders for many religions allow you to pursue a life of devotion and purity.
• Lots of new events related to societies.
• Characters now have inventories for storing weapons, artefacts, and symbols of office that have an impact on stats.

Is it worth it?

Some of the societies are really cool, but also nearly as unrealistic as Sunset Invasion at the higher levels. So if you want a purely historical playthrough, it’s probably safe to skip this one. The new events are really the highlight of it all. They’re well-written and often shocking, and combined with those added in previous expansions like Reaper’s Due and Way of Life, really give your character enough to do that you can play CK2 almost as an RPG or a visual novel instead of a strategy game about conquest. At least, until they start to get repetitive - which they definitely will if you stay with the same society for long enough,

Jade Dragon (2017) - $14.99

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Highlights:

• Adds China as an off-map power that can conquer territory on the map by way of the Western Protectorate title, demand tribute, or even be conquered to install your dynasty on the throne.
• New Silk Road mechanics that react to the changing political situation in China
• Rally points that allow you to raise all of your levies and have them travel automatically to a specified province.
• New CBs that make it easier for small rulers surrounded by same-religion rivals to expand.
• Bön and Khurmazta relgions (also unlocked if you own The Old Gods)
• Taoism religion (also unlocked if you own Rajas of India)

Is it worth it?

Rally points and the new CBs are nice, all-around quality of life features. But what will really determine how much bang you get for your buck with Jade Dragon is how often you like to play on the Eastern edge of the map. Having the Chinese Emperor to deal with makes the region feel very different, both in terms of opportunities and challenges. The huge number of new events and diplomatic options tied to China liven things up as well. Obviously, however, the further from China your realm is located, the less any of this is going to matter.

Holy Fury (2018) - $19.99

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Highlights

• The final DLC for CK2, that actually features mechanics and bits back-ported from CK3's design.
• Adds ‘Random’ and ‘Shattered’ World generation options. One lets you play on a completely fictional map of Europe, a la Random New World from EU4, while the other keeps the land-mass in place and simply changes up the faction dynamics and configurations.
• Legendary Bloodlines allow for really good characters to pass on buffs and bonuses to their descendants. Players can found their own, but there’s also some pre-made historical ones as well.
• Some new event chains to go along with the (free) revamped Crusader mechanics.
• Extremely pious characters can become saints, and Feudal Kings must find Clergy to crown them and legitimise their authority.
• Lots and lots of other changes big and small.

Is it worth it?

It’s a strong yes, although there’s an equally strong caveat. Holy Fury manages to breathe new life into the wider game thanks to the Random/Shattered world options. Much like the Random New World from EU4, your mileage on this may vary, but Holy Fury also manages to completely revitalise the Christian game specifically on more standard map settings through new Crusade and Character mechanics. We didn’t think CK2 could do it again, but by gosh, it’s done it again. It's almost tragic in the way that this is the game's final expansion, although the development team mentioned that they wanted to send CK2 off on a high note. I'd say they definitely achieved that.

CAVEAT: Unfortunately, if you lack DLCs like Sword of Islam, Sons of Abraham, and Rajas of India you may accidentally run into several ‘Game Over’ states if you switch your character to a religion you’re not allowed to play as. Check our review for more details. Also, the free patch once again proves to be as strong, if not stronger, than the DLC itself.

MINOR CK2 DLCs:

Ruler Designer ($4.99) - Allows you to create a ruler from scratch, selecting traits, appearance, culture, religion, and stats. They will replace any character in the historical map you choose. This is a fun, worthwhile little DLC… but keep in mind that in a game you will likely play for over a dozen generations, the character you create will only be a small part of the story.

Customization Pack ($4.99) - Allows you to change the hair and beard of a character any time you want, as well as rename any of your titles. While by no means essential, I’d definitely miss being able to call the empire I just founded whatever I damn well please if I were to play without it.

Europa Universalis IV Save Converter ($9.99) - In theory, this is one of my single favourite pieces of DLC Paradox has ever put out. Being able to continue my medieval shenanigans into the renaissance, potentially completing an epic, 1100-year-long mega-campaign makes me drool just thinking about it. The only reason this one doesn’t get my unreserved endorsement is that support for it is spotty. The team in charge of maintaining the converter is far too small (basically one guy, from what I understand), to keep up with the major changes being made to both games on a regular basis. Sometimes, it’s in great working shape. At other times, it’s largely nonfunctional with little concept of when a new update might get it up and running again. I’m so, so, so glad it exists, and it’s a wonder to behold when it’s in top form. I just wish it got the love it deserved to be an integral part of PDS’s grand strategy equation.

THE BREAKDOWN

Essential Expansions for Everyone:

1. The Old Gods
2. Legacy of Rome (Specifically for the Retinues feature)
3. Way of Life
4. Conclave
5. The Reaper’s Due

Situational Expansions (In No Particular Order):

• Holy Fury (Essential for Christians and Pagans)
• Sword of Islam (Essential for Muslims)
• The Republic (Essential for Republics)
• Sons of Abraham (Essential for Judaism, Very Highly Recommended for Christians and Muslims)
• Rajas of India (Essential for Indian religions)
• Charlemagne (Essential for Zunists, Very Highly Recommended for playing large, advanced empires due to the Vice-royality features)
• Horse Lords (Essential for Steppe Nomads)
• Jade Dragon (Highly recommended for the Far East - particularly the steppe, Tibet, and the Tarim Basin. Not necessarily essential for India.)

Got any other thoughts on the Crusader Kings II DLCs? Let us know in the comments below!

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CK2Plus(CK2+) is a mod originally created by Wiz, a member of the Something Awful forums who began working for Paradox in January 2013, which was then completely overhauled by a new team following the release of the Rajas of India DLC. The mod has had a lot of new features added since its original inception and continues to be updated regularly. It also incorporates elements from other mods on the Paradox forums, as well as work was done by other users on Something Awful's Paradox thread.

As the name implies, CK2+ exists to give you more—more content, more choices, more fun. The goal is to offer a deeper and more challenging CK2 experience without straying too far from the original game mechanics or adding overly deterministic events. The purpose of this mod is not historical accuracy (although we try to preserve it whenever it’s not detrimental to gameplay), but rather to enrich the medieval sandbox that CK2 offers.

Ultimately, CK2+ aims to deepen the CK2 experience, both in detail and enjoyment. Due to changes in mechanics that may make the game more difficult for new players, it's recommended to have first played the vanilla version of the game to have a good understanding of how it works.

Changes to CK2

• A completely overhauled factions system -- rather than solely having factions which go to war with their liege as soon as they are strong enough, there are also 'common interest' factions which consist of vassals who meet regularly and can reward a liege who's kept them happy or make demands of a liege with whom they're angry..and who can start a civil war if their liege doesn't comply. These civil wars can be incredibly dangerous, as other factions can join in the war if the liege is unpopular.
• Catholic and Orthodox religions are united as Chalcedonian Christianity in the Old Gods, Charlemagne, and Millenium bookmarks. The schism only occurs after the millennium if the right events occur prior to that, and gives an a conversion choice to every Chalcedonian ruler. The Great Schism can be prevented by anointing a Patriarch Supreme.
• A cadet system for younger brothers of very large dynasties to establish their own dynasties if they should ever inherit a title. Likewise, powerful rulers who are part of very large dynasties but who are not the dynasty's head (and not closely related to him) may elect to start their own -- particularly if they are Muslim, who will always start their own dynasty if not in the realm of their dynasty head.
• German and Italian cultures are split to their historical variations which can be united though special decisions and events by powerful imperial rulers.
• Berber and Moorish cultural groups.
• Playable Aztec invasion. Player needs to be a Nahua Aztec Count on Atlantic coast (not Scandinavia or Iceland) on game start.
• Overhauled heresies -- conversion to heresies is not completely random, and sometimes 'heretics' will actually switch to non-heretic religions within the same religion group (where it makes sense). There are brand new heresies, such as the Adoptionists and Tondrakians (amongst others), and many individual heresies have been given a great deal of unique content to make them more interesting to play.
• A more logical system for adventurers -- adventurers will travel around to nearby kingdoms, attempting to raise money from sympathetic rulers and by campaigning in lands. Only if they raise sufficient funds will they be able to form a host, and the size of the host will depend on the amount of coin they raised as well as their individual prowess. A deceptive ruler may attempt to take their captive when they arrive and offer you them to you in exchange for a hefty ransom.
• A coronation system, which requires feudal kings and emperors to hold a coronation -- an event which invites not only vassals but nearby independent rulers and relatives -- which will solidify their rule. Until they are coronated, weak claims can be enforced against them and their Crown Authority can not be increased.
• India Submod -- Indian subcontinent is separated from the main mod, and can be activated with the submod included in the main download.
• Imperial Government -- A special feudal government type replaces the viceroy system. Instead of being given the kingdom/duchy title outright, ruler can choose whether to allow normal inheritance, give the title to someone else, or take the title for him/herself.
• Imperial Court Events -- Vassals can send their family members to imperial court to learn and gain experience.
• New Tributary System -- Tributary CB is disabled and it is replaced with a targeted decision. The target is given a choice to either pay tribute or go to war. If the target rejects, attacker can still backout, at the cost of prestige. Accepting to pay tribute without war has the benefit of reduced tribute percentage.
• Congenital traits are no longer visible at birth, and are discovered as the child grows up. Affected traits are: genius, quick, imbecile, slow, tall, dwarf, strong, weak, homosexual and most of the congenital traits added by the mod (e.g. tall, ambidextrous, imposing).
• Regnal name selection -- Before the coronation, ruler can select a traditional regnal name for their culture, or choose a traditional dynastic name.
• A Spy Network rating, built by assigning the Spymaster to the Build Spy Network job. Spy Network can be spent to speed up the success of plots, and can also be spent to hire an assassin to target someone you have a murder plot against. The rating slows down plots against you, but you can devote your own Spy Network to reducing your target's.
• The vanilla decadence system for Muslims is gone -- mostly. Muslims can still gain the Decadent trait, and if they are in the realm of the head of their dynasty, they can cause him to gain a 'Decadent Dynasty' trait of increasing levels of negative opinion with other Muslims based on how many family members have the trait. The dynasty head can demand they straighten up if he has enough Piety, and should they refuse he gets the right to exile (not execute) them. An exiled decadent family member can be almost as much trouble away as in the realm, as they will otherwise plot and scheme and ask for money and estates.
• A system for Martyrs and Saints. Christians who die during a Crusade or executed by an infidel may become Martyrs. Rulers who die with very high Piety (or with other qualifications, such as being a Martyr or having mended the Schism) may be declared Saints -- this changes the portrait and provides Piety to their family.
• Tribal rulers feudalize similar to the pre-Horse Lords manner -- they must upgrade their capital holding's hillfort or market city, and must have Absolute Tribal Organization or reach a sufficient tech level. Their non-upgraded holdings do not turn into castles, but can be once they're upgraded, and they do not instantly get cities and temples in every province. Cities and temples can be built prior to feudalization, with difficulty, and the process speeds up for the first century after feudalization in provinces of the ruler's culture.
• A new tyranny system similar to EU: Rome. Kings cannot wantonly revoke titles, imprison, banish or execute subjects any more without incurring Tyranny. The 'Tyrant' trait lowers relationships with everyone and in turn makes it more likely for vassals to revolt, and sufficiently high tyranny can cause a 'dynastic stain' which is passed on to descendants.
• A unique map with many more provinces and territories, along with a revamped setup for de jure kingdoms and empires. One thing experienced players will immediately notice is the scarcity of de jure empires -- most empires are formed as titular titles first, and gain de jure territory through the course of the game.
• A revamped system of demesne laws. Crown Authority has also been changed, having the effects of the vanilla Centralization law folded into it while simultaneously making it more difficult to raise (requiring a certain prestige score). Kingdoms and empires require a medium level of Crown Authority in order to enforce their de jure claims.
• Changing of Crusade/Jihad mechanics to more accurately and fairly represent large-scale holy wars. Winning a crusade/jihad results in the de jure kingdom of the war's target being created (e.g.: a successful Crusade for Jerusalem results in the Kingdom of Jerusalem being created and awarded to the victor), as well as the institution of a special truce to help Crusader states survive more than a few years.
• All Christian religions have the capability to unite Christianity -- whether it be via Mending the Schism (for Catholics and Orthodox), Repudiating the Council of Chalcedon (for Miaphysites) or Repudiating the Council of Ephesus (for Nestorians). This only requires that the religion has a religion head, and works even if the 'main' religion has been replaced with a heresy.
• The episcopal sees (Rome, Constantinople, Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria) have ducal patriarchate titles which are gained when a Catholic or autocephaly religion (like Orthodox and Apostolic) gains the temple barony. For autocephaly religions, it's this title which constitutes the actual pentarchy..and some religions (like Miaphysites or Nestorians) only gain the Petrine sees and not Constantinople or Jerusalem.
• Adds a greater list of ambitions and plots, including: 'Get a lover', 'Break out of prison', 'Convert a province', 'Win a war', etc.
• A completely revamped set-up for the historical transition between Charlemagne and the Carolingian Empire to the Holy Roman Empire, with events allowing for this to occur even with the AI at the helm (or in a completely ahistorical manner). The de jure set-up for the Holy Roman Empire has also changed, with the former kingdom of Germany broken up into its individual 'stem duchies' while under Holy Roman rule.
• Expanded mechanics for female heirs and rulers. Women can now have their claims enforced by war even on agnatic titles, can have a martial trait which allows them to lead armies (though only in certain cultures, or at certain levels of gender law), and have special versions of some events (such as hunting and tournaments) which apply only to them.
• Changing succession laws requires prestige, and can cause anger not only among your vassals but particularly among those who find themselves disinherited as a result of the change. Some laws, like Feudal Elective or Tanistry, require the agreement of your vassals in order to change them at all.
• While tribal rulers cannot build new holdings normally, they will have pious characters sometimes ask to found a temple with their support. Their steward may also use the 'Settle Tribe' ability in provinces of their culture to find a site for a new city -- which will require support and many years to build.
• The ability to disinherit an heir -- though an angry former heir may take arms against you, if he can find support.
• Expanded events for pagans, including new pagan religions such as Celtic, Kemetic or Canaanite for appropriate cultures -- many of which were adapted from the Ancient Religions mod.
• A 'New World Order' function, usable at the beginning of any game, which allows you to break up every kingdom or even duchy in the world and start everyone at the same level. It also has a function which allows you to change the world's starting religion set-up, making pagans dominant in many areas and all but removing Christianity entirely.
• Ruler Designer reworked to allow creation of more powerful rulers. Additionally, it allows the choice of assuming one of the existing dynasties.
• Many new additional start dates, focusing on characters and periods throughout the era.
• A host of improvements for the AI, insofar as how they run their realms and how they use the existing events and wars a little more intelligently.
• A myriad of other new events and decisions, many of which are too minor to list here and also many of which are fixes for vanilla bugs or revisions of vanilla events & decisions to improve their function in the game.
• Add Apostolic faith, which represents Armenian Apostolic Church or opinionally other kingdom's religion, along with it's own unique monastic order.

Gameplay

One of the first things you'll notice playing this mod is that vassal limits have been greatly reduced compared to vanilla. It is considerably more difficult to manage a large empire, and you will have to decide between having many vassals or having a large personal demesne when considering whether or not to increase your Crown Authority. Retinues are smaller and more expensive to maintain, and the benefits of some technologies has been spread out so there's unlikely to be any single technology which stands above all others in its usefulness.

Another major thing you'll notice is the factions. There are still factions vying for independence and to support a claimant against your title, and you'll have to watch out for them, but there also factions with names like 'Prosperity', 'Glory', 'Tradition', and 'Court'. These are the common interest factions, and each one determines what the vassals within it want -- do they want peace and wealth? Do they want a strong ruler with lots of prestige? Do they want a pious ruler who doesn't change from the old ways? Their faction determines what they do or don't like about what you do, and when they get unhappy as a group they can suddenly start making demands of you. A civil war can be incredibly bad news if multiple factions are unhappy and all your vassals' band together against you instead of letting you pick them off one by one.

In general, quite a few of the changes lead to gameplay being more restrictive on your personal power especially regarding acquiring new lands which, depending on your personal playstyle, can either be a bad thing or lead to a deeper, more involved vassal-reliant game.