I have this game on Steam and it gave me hours of FUN! You lead a dinasty through the ages and there's so much you can do! You have to handle the lands you directly possess, but most of all you need to handle your vassals! And your wife! And your mother-in-law! And your children! There's so much that can happen and in every game something different may happen! There are many DLCs, that is true, but I think none of them is strictly necessary. I suggest playing the vanilla game first and, if you enjoy it, look at what each DLC adds to see if it may improve your games! For example: - Sword of Islam allows to play with Muslim characters, with a different play stile - Sunset Invasion is considered the least interesting, it add an ahistorical Aztec invasion from the west that mirrors the Mongol invasion from the east, for those who like a challenge. - Rajas of India allows playing with Hindu, Buddhist and Jain characters (honestly not that interesting) - The Old Gods makes northen Pagans playable, i.e. Vikings! This is definitely FUN!!! I recommend this! - Holy Fury was the last expansion and adds interesting things like Bloodlines, Coronations and other interesting additions! In a few word: GIVE THIS GAME A CHANCE! The vanilla game is fun even without DLC. If you like this game, then you can decide to explore the DLCs, but they are not strictly necessary to have a good experience.
