I haven't had any technical problems with the game except with freezes during battles. Disabling my anti-virus problem seemed to solve the problem.

Methinks you don't need to install the 2.1 patch, as it's a part of the Viking Invasion add-on.

I'm not sure what tech maps you're referring to, but the paper one that came with my battle collection wasn't updated for version 1.1 or 2.1. The online community has produced more accurate ones at:
http://www.3ddownloads.com/strategy-...nfo%20pack.zip

I recommend playing England in Early, as that faction has a lot of options and thus should suit the most playing styles. If you didn't play Shogun, you should start at the easiest level. If you insist on starting at the normal level, I recommend that you try some "quick battles" or "custom battles" first.

If you're are an expansionist like myself, my only tip is that you pay attention to the loyalty of your provinces. As the campaign gets further along, it becomes harder to maintain loyalty. The loyalty of each province is affected by many different things.