3. What would you recommend for mods?
I would recommend Lusted`s Terra Expugnandae 5.1
It works very nice whith patch 1.5, and it is very stable... large map, many many provinces, new units, new realistic skins, unified Rome, Bactria and Epirus added, realistic traits system, etc.... it is good to play it until comes the Europa Barbarorum 0.8 mod.