So, with a little time off, I had a chance to keep trying to mod Empire. Finally, I have gotten this mod to work! (sort of, the launcher is still a no-go). Tech difficulties aside(I couldn't get Imperial Splendour to work either, and no, I did not attempt to install both mods at once. I followed the directions and did a clean install), I figured I'd make a few comments.
The good: I could spend days just reading unit cards. The amount of detail on every unit is astounding. It's very nice to see a sort of motley Confederate army, as opposed to a great wall of matching grey uniforms. It is plainly apparent how much work and love of history that went in to this. The combat is also noticeably different from vanilla. Despite units seeming to die much more easily, battles still seem to take longer. That may be an enhancement to the AI(making it less suicidal and more likely to keep reserves) or it may be something else, but whatever it is, I like it.
The bad: This is probably a matter of engine limitation, but it is a little sad to see St. Andrew's cross for every single Confederate unit. The Warpath campaign music is...jarring, to say the least. It's a bit odd to be hearing semi-racist Native American OST while the states duke it out. On the campaign map, my units seem to think that they are all in the Confederate navy, as they keep saying things like "Aye aye, Captain!" and "We're a fleet, not an army!" Silly Virginians, you ARE an army!
...This is why old Stonewall got shot by his own men.
The confusing: The Union doesn't seem very likely to win the Civil War in this mod, even if you just let the AI duke it out. For one thing, Lincoln doesn't seem intent on starting a war at all, as I was allowed to ally with 5 different nations and build up my forces and infrastructure without any Northern invasion. Further complicating the situation was Lincoln's apparent coke addiction, as he sold the nation's capital to the Colombians. Ok, sure, I guess we'll just go fight in Kentucky instead while Mrs. Lincoln and the Union generals have an intervention for poor Abe.
The verdict: 9/10, will spend dozens of hours learning things/humming Dixie. The problems and oddities of the mod are not enough to meaningfully detract from the overall experience.
Is there a thread with signatures for this mod?