Crusader Kings II: The Reaper's Due (PC) Review

Previously on Crusader Kings II! After a lengthy battle and massive dispute due to the sudden decision of the King of England to convert from Christianity to the African beliefs as encouraged by his beloved wife, a lord lead a revolt in an attempt to overthrow the land, calling in help from the mighty Swiss army stationed in Portugal. Despite this, though, the lord was captured and the English king was left with a frustrating riddle. What exactly to do with this upstart lord!?

The Reaper's Due now seeks to provide an answer to that question by providing a bunch of new ways to kill things! Impalement? Death by elephant? Everything is possible now! It seems that Paradox paid attention to the modding community as The Reaper's Due seems to take from several popular mods in a good way.

For starters, plagues are now much more deadly. Before, plagues, while they existed, weren't the most intimidating thing in the world. While avoiding smallpox was an obviously good thing, it simply wasn't a threat and it was far too easy to go throughout life without once contracting something of any meaning. Gone are those days, as the plagues have been amped up, and it drastically changes things. Now, doing things like closing up the castle gates and entering into seclusion while the plague ravages the land are a serious concern.

In addition, many new ways to execute people have been implemented even though, eventually, it all boils down to the same general effect. However, on the brighter side, a reform has been made to how prosperous a realm is, and, given the time and attention to turn it from dirt-farming to a land of luxury, it can result in a much better crafted system to reward those whom value peaceful building.

Sadly, that's also the expansion's biggest problem. Outside of plagues, ways to kill people, and an overhaul as to how prosperity works, it doesn't really do much. While changing how plagues work is no minor thing, it's also no major thing. It's the realm of mods. Good mods, but mods still, and The Reaper's Due sort of feels like a bunch of well-made mods packaged together, made relatively seamless, then sold. That doesn't change that it's good content, just lacking the bite a great expansion should have.