It can be unforgiving if you get too big for your britches, lol...but I love it too. It's been a while since I played, but when I do, I will probably try the Saxons next. Have you tried any of the expansions yet?

Not since i came back to it but from what I remember of the Druid expansion it's less story driven. More of a 'free for all' between the different regions who are all on their own. You can use diplomacy, there's 4 'special' factions that you can build rep with that can give you bonuses and there's a list of heroes and ladies you can build rep with to recruit them. I'm also fairly sure it limits the max number of heroes per army depending on your Army leaders leadership. So roughly like that, random quests etc. That and the northern regions are usually in danger because the Sidhe tend to stray into those regions now and then with their armies.

Although the actual combat side of them is probably a bit lacking compared to what you're looking for, Crusader Kings 1 & 2 cover the whole 'controlling a family' thing.

They're basically about dynasty management, building up an empire through a combination of marriage, intrigue and conquest. Combat is unfortunately biggest army wins (basically anyway) but other than that they're probably worth a shot.
2 has a lot more going for it than 1, but it's not available here (Steam only as far as I remember) while 1 is (not sure if that is an issue for you)

Ahh, ok...that sounds cool. Kind of, a little bit "sandboxy" so to speak, which should be interesting. Will definitely have to cue that in my "to play" list. I tried the KA: Fallen Champions stand alone expansion back when, but kept having graphical issues which made it unplayable for me, and I didn't feel like jumping through hoops trying to get it to work, so I put it on the side burner. I have a new gaming rig on order, so perhaps after that arrives, I'll give it a shot again. It *looked* interesting, from what little I tried, but hard to say. You give that one a go?

Until you mentioned it I forgot I had it... so no xD

LOL....well if you try it, let me know how you liked it...if good, I'll throw that on my list too! heh heh

I support the mentions of Eador and King Arthur: The Role-Playing Wargame.

The familly component is something I saw in "Sword of the Samurai" or "Europa 1400"

Hegemony II - The rise of Caesar and Endless Legend are two games worth considering as well if you want something different .

I second the Eador and Age of Wonders series recommendations.

You might also want to look at Fantasy Wars and Elven Legacy.