I just found out that the grand strategy game is free for a limited time on steam. It's only for the base game, the dlc for it still costs money, but is on sale. It also has online multiplayer capabilities to make it somewhat relevant.
http://store.steampowered.com/app/20...ader_Kings_II/
I personally have been eyeing this game for a while, and I feel like this is a bit of a lucky break for me.
To anyone who picks it up, I hope you enjoy.