izigame.me

I really enjoy this expansion pack, and I think its really technically impressive! It's the first time the Paradox team has really shown a 3D environment in a Crusader Kings game before, and it makes the world come to life for me. What was done with culture in this pack was really impactful for dynamic gameplay and interesting stories as well.
Positives
• I love seeing the characters in game in the throne room. It makes having a tall character feel unique, seeing your kids huddled around is cute, and I like seeing my ruler and spouse on their chairs.
• Artifacts were such a cool addition to basegame, but with the pack you get way cooler artifacts, and you actually have a place to display them visually - which is super cool. I rename my artifacts and tie them into the story, and its a way I can remember generational gameplay that feels really tangible. Great feature! They've updated this and supported it with future packs as well like Fate of Iberia.
• Culture blending. I'm not sure how much of this is BG versus pack-specific, but it's become vital to my gameplay. I love customizing my culture or blending with other cultures. It's let me tell some really interesting stories and adds a lot to replayability for the game for me.
• I like that my character fights with the actual weapon that they have equipped now. That's cool.
• Court positions are awesome. Again, not sure what is BG versus pack-specific, but this added a lot to the game for me. It's a tool for opinion and also affects how easy the game is - assuming you have the money to afford the positions.
• Neat way to interact with your liege. I love the roleplay aspect of paying homage to your liege or others paying homage to you, and it's fun to get the rewards. I also like that you can request assistance from your liege, and it takes into account your relationship. I played the kings secret lover and he gave me everything I requested. It felt like such a cool, intuitive story moment for me. Very neat.
• There are some neat moments where people come to your court requesting things that are fun to deal with. I like when I have to decide who gets the baby (King Solomon reference from Bible) or when someone from a "rich foreign court" comes in and wants to marry my child (Aladdin reference).
Negatives (I didn't feel this way at launch, but overtime I've grown to feel this way.)
• A lot of the hold court events are really repetitive, so it can seem a little boring to keep holding court. I hope they support this with future packs to keep adding more royal court events and make it more varied. I haven't seen this yet though.
• My biggest concern with this pack is how Holding Court doesn't really serve as a useful tool. There are events that pop up, and they're really random, so you don't know what you'll be getting and solving. I like what they're proposing with "Intent" in activities for the upcoming Tours and Tournaments expansion, and that feels like a direct lesson from the failings of the "Hold Court" feature in this expansion. I want to be able to hold court for a purpose to help strategize and solve problems. Paired with frequent negative outcomes, repetitive events, and no real benefits - hold court is something I don't really feel like doing anymore until I have to.
Overall, I'm really happy with this pack and I would 100% recommend buying it. I don't think its perfect, but it is a great addition to the game whether you're looking for roleplay or some added mechanics with culture.