I'm playing Crusader
Kings II: Legacy of Rome, a the latest DLC for the
fantastic character-driven grand strategy game by Paradox
Interactive.
This mini-expansion focuses on the
Byzantine Empire by providing more events for rulers controlling that
specific country. In addition, each Orthodox nation now has its own
patriarch (like a Pope), so you can more easily influence religious
favors (excommunication, for instance). The final major addition of
Crusader Kings II: Legacy of Rome is a standing army: you can now
have permanent troops and only have to pay for their reinforcement.
The remainder of the improvements advertised for Legacy of Rome are
actually included for free with the latest patch (1.07) for the base
game. Most significant of these is the introduction of factions:
organized pockets of rebellion in your lands. Instead of each vassal
revolting separately, they can now become organized by supporting the
same goal (a different succession rule, an elective monarchy, lower
crown authority, granting a specific title, or independence). This
results in more powerful rebellions you must contend with. Coupled
with the standing armies, you are now limited to recruiting troops
only from your direct vassals. On a more personal level, there are
new self-improvement ambitions (increasing a specific trails through
events) and you can now have one plot and one ambition
simultaneously. Combat now emphasizes a new series of commander
traits that give bonuses for battles on specific terrain types (flat,
rough, mountainous, desert), so a little more thought must be done in
assigning your leaders. But again, most of the improvements are free
for owners of the original game, so the actual amount of exclusive
content in Legacy of Rome is quite low. Unless you really love the
Byzantine Empire, or really want to have standing armies, Legacy of
Rome isn’t worth even a modest monetary investment.
