Well, that was quick: Crusader Kings 2: Conclave, which was just announced in January, already has a release date. And that release date is right around the corner. The next expansion to Crusader Kings 2 is coming out on Feb. 2, and will retail for $14.99. That’s so soon! All the better, considering the wintry weather. The expansion looks great, too: It revamps a lot of the game’s core diplomatic and military systems… and the newly released second dev diary shows just how big those changes are.

Crusader Kings 2: Conclave Makes The Council Like Game Of Thrones

Let’s get right to the new dev diary, because the release date and price don’t require much explanation, but the new Council changes absolutely do. Because they’re huge. The first dev diary looked at some loose changes to diplomacy, but this second one shows the real meat of Conclave’s changes… which, remember, are designed to make diplomacy more realistic and he mid-to-end-game harder.

First off, the Council is much more powerful now. Strong vassals essentially demand a seat on the Council, threatening civil war otherwise. That’s because being on the Council matters a lot now. Because the Council gets to vote on your decisions. Yup, they get to vote if you go to war or not. Of course, you’re a goddamn feudal lord or king, and ultimately you can do what you want—as long as you don’t have a regent, you can overrule the Council, but there are big consequences for it. Defying them will invoke tyranny and drive them to join factions. Not good.

Thankfully, a new mechanic will make it easier to sway Council members to your side—favors. These already sound like one of the coolest new mechanics in Conclave. Basically, you can ask and give favors to your vassals and lieges, in exchange for another favor later on. It’s an augment to the opinion system: Marrying your daughter to your chancellor’s dopey son not only improves his opinion of you, but it gives you a favor to call in later, so he votes your way for a year. You can even use favors to get your liege to press claims for you, if the Council agrees!

Another new feature is Realm Peace, which is what it sounds like—it enforces peace in the realm for five years, following a three month lead time. It’s a way to shut down your vassals’ wars, and partially replaces the old mechanism of Crown Authority, which never felt very realistic at the higher levels. And yup, you can ask your liege a favor to enforce Realm Peace just to save your own bad self from the duchy next door. It will definitely change the dynamic of intrarealm peace, giving the liege more of a say. And that only makes sense.

Conclave will bring loads of new features to Crusader Kings 2, and the overall effect is clear: The new expansion is creating a more dynamic and interesting diplomatic system, where relations with your vassals matter more than ever. It’s exciting stuff. Conclave launches on Feb. 2.