Without mods, you conquer provinces, manage economy, and repeat. But victory feels hollow because nothing happens . You never get the "Rise of the Mongols" pop-up. There is no flavor text for the Black Death. You don't feel the ideological crack of the Protestant Reformation.
For example: "The Crown is Empty. You have no heir. Do you enter a Personal Union with France (Yes) or suffer a Succession War (No)?" age of history 2 mods with events
Vanilla AOH2 has very few of these. Vanilla is a simulator. Mods with robust event engines turn it into a story generator . Without mods, you conquer provinces, manage economy, and