I have played almost all of the new factions in XL, some starting in a couple of eras. I think the mod is good. The new factions are mostly interesting although many are quickly eliminated when played by the AI. It doesn't make the game quite as hard as Medmod but it is definitely way better than vanilla VI. I would give it an 8 probably. You should download it (no virus for me) because it is fun (try Portugal for a real challenge).