Well, I think after HoI4 PDS should definitely build an EU-Rome sequel, a proper game this time. I am craving hungrily for it since the train wreck that was Rome II Total War turned out so bad.
I don't get this fascination with families and clans. It's a game about the Roman Empire. Not the city of Rome and the nearby provinces. It's a military empire we're talking about. If people want a game about Roman families then a sequel of EU: Rome or a new series is not something they should be looking at.
I'm pretty sure that most people who want Rome don't want it to be more like CK than EU. I'm sure there are CK fans who would like a similar game in the Roman era, but it's a totally different genre and it doesn't give you the feeling of controlling the Roman Empire. It does not suit the period of time. And yes, what you're talking about sounds like a city building game based on ancient Rome with a political character. That's not what people see 'Rome 2' as.
Paradox should build upon EU:Rome but without the EU focus and by not adding CK focus. A game set in ancient times (insert potential dates) and presentation of the world as it was at the time. Same way this was proven successful with EU, CK, HoI and Victoria series. So please, no families/clans other than perfecting what EU: Rome already has.
An EU-Rome game that doesn't have CK focus would be extremely boring.
That smaller map area requires lots of focus on characters, how they interact and how players can influence/completely take over them. In a map of such a small scale, roleplay is important, or else what would the player do once he has conquered the map to his heart's content and built all the buildings? This timeframe would have far more backhanded dealings, assassinations, family ties and tensions, bloodier and interesting politics compared to CK2.
Another reason to include a full-scale CK2 style gameplay is because there are lots and lots of interesting personalities in this era, even more than 1399-1821 timeline. They simply didn't live an idle, dull life as some nation's advisor or general.
And character focus is completely necessary to simulate Rome. Or else Caesar's or Sulla's civil wars would be termed nothing more than "Pretender Rebels" in EU context. Even when Rome became an Empire, the characters and their lives were extremely important (especially in the Italia Province), and there is a need to simulate regiments and entire legions/armies becoming loyal to a commander, for example lots of the western Legions of the Roman Republic had their loyalties lie with Caesar and deserted en-masse to his camp whenever the Optimates commanded them to go against him. Without character focus, playing this game would be bland and boring, which will reduce further customers and the possibility of any sequel.
Not to mention you have political factions in almost all of the nations, which cannot be simulated like Vicky2's parliaments and senates unless the game depicts whole world with huge 19th-century style population. Mediterranean is full of organized governments. You need characters to fill those posts, join factions, participate in the politics or military of their state (and earn prestige and envy of others in the process) or fall from history, participate in assassinations and briberies and court trials, take part in their family affairs in CK2 style (for example two senators have feuding families, clash and compete over the governorship of a province, and then ease tensions by arranging a marriage between both families) and so on. For this you need a character focus.
And this time, I think Paradox should allow us to *
play* those characters like in CK2, instead of just watching over their lives as in the old EU-Rome.