Quick question though - did you but it or did you get it free?
Good question (assuming you meant "buy" it
).
When WoM was in development I was really excited. Then went it came out and the reviews were bad... I decided against buying it (similar to you). I was right into Total War Medieval 2 at the time so just stuck with that as my strategy game of choice. I was bummed though because I prefer fantasy over historical/space/etc.
When FE came out I was very cautious... but seeing as the reviews said Stardock had turned it around I decided to get FE and try it. I was also pretty impressed by the fact that they (Brad) acknowledged they made a bit of a blunder, and the fact that they offered the WoM early adopters FE for free. Even though I wasn't one of them, I just thought that was a pretty cool thing that you don't see very often thesedays.
So I bought FE at full price (40 bucks I think). Have been playing and modding it since it was released and despite a few issues with it think it's a solid game and great entertainment value for $40. I bought the map pack when it came out even though I didn't really want or need it so much but bought it to support Stardock and FE.
I was *very* skeptical about LH. $20 for an expansion that does what... a trait tree and some silly abilities. But, I've played well over 200 hours of FE... and I am a huge fantasy fan, and TBS fan... so I choose to support guys like Stardock who are working in that genre... so I thought what the heck i'll get LH and take a look.
Turns out it's actually looking pretty cool
Is it better than FE? I think definitively yes .. but is it worth another 20 bucks? Well you could debate that one forever, and there's no definite answer because it depends on each individuals situation. For me personally, $60 total for FE+LH is well worth it when you get as much hours of fun out of it as I have. Plus I'm happy to support a fantasy TBS because there's so few around.
My advice would be if you're not sure, no need to rush into it. Hang around here for a bit and wait and see how the beta evolves. If you're still unsure, wait and see what happens when it's released.