Loving the mod but so many questions

[Folen]

Redownloaded M2TW for this mod, I am loving it so far. Amazing work etc etc. However I never played CoW, haven't played M2TW for years and have never actually played Warhammer tabletop. A lot of the mod just isn't clear to me. I can't find a list of features, so I have to ask some questions!

1. What difficulty should I be playing on for the definitive experience? I have played the early game of H/H Ogres and H/H Dark Elves. In both cases it seemed pretty easy, I reconquered Ulthuan without much trouble as Druchii and struck into the Empire as Ogres. Does the campaign become progressively harder as the game goes on, or should I be switching to VH/VH?

2. What are the differences between the M2TW campaign and the BOTET campaign? There seem to be loads and loads of small changes which I don't understand - eg Dark Elf sacrifices, Ogre hunts, apparently getting an alliance with the Dwarves is a big deal, the Everchosen is the Pope, fallen Empires can return, WAAAAAAAAGHs can happen. It feels like I'm just scraping the surface of all the changes but I can't find a list of them!

3. How much variance between each campaign can you experience? Are the same empires always really powerful by the end or is it much more up in the air? Who are the weirdest 'final empires' you've had to face.

[WhiffOfGrapeshot]

1. What difficulty should I be playing on for the definitive experience? I have played the early game of H/H Ogres and H/H Dark Elves. In both cases it seemed pretty easy, I reconquered Ulthuan without much trouble as Druchii and struck into the Empire as Ogres. Does the campaign become progressively harder as the game goes on, or should I be switching to VH/VH?

VH/VH is what it's mainly made for, but it does tend to get harder as it goes. It also depends a lot on which faction you play as. Dark Elves and Ogres can both build up steam easier than many other factions.

2. What are the differences between the M2TW campaign and the BOTET campaign? There seem to be loads and loads of small changes which I don't understand - eg Dark Elf sacrifices, Ogre hunts, apparently getting an alliance with the Dwarves is a big deal, the Everchosen is the Pope, fallen Empires can return, WAAAAAAAAGHs can happen. It feels like I'm just scraping the surface of all the changes but I can't find a list of them!

There's no real definitive guide, it's more something you have to figure out as you go. Medieval 2's Crusades and Jihads have been replaced with Chaos Incursions and WAAAGHs, respectively. Chaos Incursions can be joined by Undivided, Khorne, Tzeentch, Slaanesh, Nurgle, Skaven, and Chaos Dwarfs, while WAAAGHs can be joined by Orcs, Night Goblins, and Ogres. The mechanics work basically the same way as in the Med 2 campaign. Faction relations are also based on the lore, which is usually pretty obvious, so Dwarfs tend to get along with Humans a lot better than with Goblins or Undead. However, in Warhammer everyone can and will fight anyone else, so the loreful relations are more about who is more likely to attack each other than who are true friends forever. A lot of the mechanics can be fun to be surprised by!

3. How much variance between each campaign can you experience? Are the same empires always really powerful by the end or is it much more up in the air? Who are the weirdest 'final empires' you've had to face.

There's a lot of variety, but it's generally "evil" factions that tend to expand more. Chaos, Greenskins, Dark Elves, Skaven, etc. usually dominate, but it really depends on what happens in the campaign, especially which faction the player chooses and which direction you expand. Sometimes one faction being weakened by the player's actions, or random chance, will allow their other enemies to grow stronger than they otherwise would.

[Folen]

Thanks for the reply, I restarted with a VH campaign difficulty and H battle difficulty (I don't like my units losing 1 on 1 fights that they should definitely win) and I'm having a blast.

In terms of which factions become dominant I'm already seeing how dynamic this is. In my original H/H ogre campaign the Dogs of War were wiped out almost immediately, now they are a dominant force. All the Empire factions had allied with each other and with the DoW and dwarves, but now the dwarves have gone to war with the DoW and pretty much split the empire. Slaanesh were nobodies in my original game but quickly gaining dominance now. The variety is great!