How is the game?

[Rokh]

My short and sweet review: base game CKII is good (maybe very good . . .).

Would you say the base game is worth it? A friend of mine is interested in the game but he doesn't want to pay God knows how much money for the complete game with all the DLC. I know the game is very fun with the DLC but I don't know if it feels "empty" without them because I can't go back

 

[Truewhit]

I have no issue with a DLC changing how a mechanic works: that's partially what they're for after all. I appreciate bug-fixes; making the game work as intended is cool.

What I don't like are game play changes that affect the base game and render previous saves only playable on older releases without any possibility of pretty important bug fixes and effectively force me to relearn the game again should I want to partake of the fixes to the game.

I got the CKII through a give-away. AFAIK it is just the base game, my avatar doesn't have any badges for DLC at least. Should I give it a whirl, I 'll play base until I get comfortable then figure out which DLCs appeal.

That's perfect! A great way to start a great game.

 

[Whizzer]

One DLC you should not activate halfway into a game is Conclave - it's all but guaranteed to mess with laws, most certainly to your detriment.

 

[Anthropoid]

Would you say the base game is worth it? A friend of mine is interested in the game but he doesn't want to pay God knows how much money for the complete game with all the DLC. I know the game is very fun with the DLC but I don't know if it feels "empty" without them because I can't go back

If someone thinks they might be into the game, it is worth it. But they should keep in mind: if they are into the game and discover that from the base game, they will want to be procuring most or all the rest of the packages.