I can’t believe it—a new Crusader Kings 2 expansion is coming out in early 2016, all these many years after the game was first released. And this time, it’s changing some of the game’s core mechanics. The last expansion, Horse Lords, revamped the Mongols and other nomadic tribes. This one’s got a very different focus: diplomacy. It’s a major revamp of some of the game’s oldest systems, and the first development diary reveals the impetus behind it all.

Crusader Kings 2: Conclave Gameplay: What’s Changing And Why

Most CK2 expansions extend the reach of the game, from early expansions fleshing out the Muslims and Byzantines to more recent ones focusing on India, nomadic tribes, and the Carolingian era. Conclave is different; it largely changes and amplifies existing mechanics, specifically related to diplomacy. In essence, Conclave makes the CK2 Council more powerful. Powerful vassals demand a seat on your Council, councilors will engage in more intrigue, and factions will be more powerful and dangerous.

Diplomacy and military operations are also receiving a major revamp. Marriage alliances will become mere nonaggression pacts, with formal alliances a further step up the chain (while still requiring a marriage). Coalitions can form for a common goal of stopping infamous conquerors, and—gasp-inducingly—armies will be able to regenerate their numbers when on their home turf. That’s a major change, aimed at making wars less decisive. The education system has also gotten a big overhaul.

As the first dev diary explains, the changes in Conclave have an overarching goal: Make the mid-to-late-game much harder. The early game has always been tricky, but once you’re a blob, it’s easy to stay on top in CK2. That won’t be quite as easy anymore. New internal pressures will make it harder for kingdoms and empires to blob up and expand as much as they did before. Or, rather, those pressures will make it more likely for the kingdom to spin out of control and into civil war. It’s an enticing proposition, and may help fix one of CK2’s bigger problems: By the end of the game, the world is dominated by truly massive empires, especially the HRE. If coalitions of other powerful states can team up against blobs while powerful kings and dukes do the same from the inside, CK2 will be much more exciting in later stages… and more realistic.

It’s crazy and amazing that Crusader Kings 2 is still getting such major updates, and Conclave sounds like a great one. The game’s scope has gotten larger and larger, but some of the older mechanics don’t work as well as they once did. Conclave will help fix that, resulting in a more dynamic and exciting game—which really says something.