Pre-Reapers Due DLC advise needed

[dutchmagnum]

I rarely buy Crusader Kings expansions when released, preferring to wait for a sale. With the release of The Reapers Due, I could now pick up Horse Lords and Conclave with a nice discount.

I'm aware of a bit of controversy surrounding some of the features introduced in Conclave though. What is the status of the game with Conclave now, after several patches? The council mechanic does seem fun to me, but it read that it has quite a learning curve to master.

Is Horse Lords worth it as well?

Any thoughts are welcome.

 

[deadhand13]

With current patch, there are game rules that can disable the controversial Conclave features. Horse Lords is mostly there to play as nomads/have nomads come and decide the grass looks greener on your side of the border.

 

[DàbiànLājīdàrén]

nomad mechanics have also been improved in the latest patch so that pillaging isn't completely awful

 

[Peruvian Puff Pepper]

I've played about 300 of my 458 hours with conclave. I've learned all of its mechanics and I feel I understand it perfectly. Some people say that it provides a deeper council experience, but I feel that all it does is get in your way with completely arbitrary decisions by your councilors and vassals, who often act against the best interests of the realm and even themselves. Not to mention you have a massive civil war on your hands every time your ruler dies, and the regencies will completely prevent you from doing anything, even giving out titles. The council power mechanic exists only to make things annoying or even impossible, having to listen to the opinions of your idiot councilors who hate you for no reason, just to perform some basic actions, and is raised by constant civil wars and lowered by expensive bribes. It's true that the council lacks any depth without it, but the depth added by conclave is like diving into a swimming pool full of your vassal's feces.

As for horse lords, I played as a nomad once and decided I didn't like it. If you find nomads interesting, go for it. If you don't plan on playing as one, you shouldn't spend your money.

If you want my advice, don't buy either, and buy Reaper's Due instead! One of the best so far, and totally worth it.

 

[Minchandre]

I rarely buy Crusader Kings expansions when released, preferring to wait for a sale. With the release of The Reapers Due, I could now pick up Horse Lords and Conclave with a nice discount.

I'm aware of a bit of controversy surrounding some of the features introduced in Conclave though. What is the status of the game with Conclave now, after several patches? The council mechanic does seem fun to me, but it read that it has quite a learning curve to master.

Is Horse Lords worth it as well?

Any thoughts are welcome.

Conclave was incredibly divisive. While I think most people found the new education mechanic to be good (though I think it's harder to convert children now unless you choose that focus), the council is incredibly, incredibly controversial. Honestly, I'm not sure where I stand on it myself. It's a good idea but often frustrating in practice, especially since your dukes always end up having terrible stats for some reason (except for learning!), and there are certain events that basically force you to owe someone a favor and then they'll force you to lower crown authority, which is terrible because it not only lowers it, but it counts for your initiating the vote so you lose 20 years' progress. And malcontents (council members who will always vote against you no matter what) are terrible because they always amass favors and then block you. Particularly annoying is when you die while your heir is still a child and they end up with 8 demesne on a limit of 5 and your council won't let you hand out titles.

Horse Lords is mostly about playing horse nomads, of course. The game plays somewhat differently from "core" ck2, and while many like it, I don't. I also found it incredibly buggy every time I tried.

Even if you don't want to horse around, Horse Lords adds the Silk Road (making certain Middle Eastern and Indian provinces much, much more strategic), and raiding adventurers, which are kinda fun but get annoying after a while.

Make of that what you will.