It would be practically impossible for a game to cover the entire history of the world with enough detail to satiate every appetite. Luckily, that’s where the players come in. Crusader Kings 3 is a brilliant historical strategy game, but its focus is predominately on Europe. Many pieces of DLC expand on that region, including the forthcoming All Under Heaven update which will add all of Asia to the game. However, there are still regions untouched. One modder, who goes by the name of ‘Cybrxkhan,’ has added countless regions to the game in the Regional Immersion and Cultural Enrichment mod, which has now turned its eyes to Nubia.
The RICE mods, as they’re known in the community, add depth to underrepresented regions in Crusader Kings 3. The latest, the Nubia: Heirs of Kush flavor pack, focuses on Egypt, Sudan, and Darfur. It adds situations like the Nile river flooding system, religions and Nilotic cultures, as well as a host of legendary historical leaders, such as Alexander the Great, Cleopatra, and Umayyads.
Adding to one of the best strategy games is a difficult task, but the level of detail in the RICE mod is impressive. Cybrxkhan doesn’t only research the areas meticulously, they also implement entirely new game mechanics to supplement the historical additions.
In Heirs of Kush, my favorite are the cattle mechanics. The developer has added Cattle Economy, which represents the honor of owning cattle. This extends beyond the Nilotic cultures explored in this flavor pack, and has been retrofitted to Gaelic cultures, among others. Additionally, they have also added Cattle Rustling, a raid intent to double down on how important cattle are in Nilotic cultures.
If you’re excited to explore Nubia, including areas of Sudan, Darfur, Nuba, and more, this is the mod for you. Cybrxkhan hopes to release it before the forthcoming All Under Heaven DLC, so we shouldn’t have long to wait. In the meantime, you can read the four dev diaries on Reddit, and start working your way through the modder’s extensive bibliography of further reading about the region.
If you prefer playing to reading, I’m sure one of the other best medieval games will tide you over until Nubia: Heirs of Kush releases. If not, try out one of Cybrxkhan’s other RICE mods, or their mods for other grand strategy games like Stellaris.
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