How do you go about writing and designing event chains for total conversions? And general large-scale modding questions

[DoktorHolmes]

Hey there! ^_^
I've been working on a total conversion mod on my own for quite a long time, and I'm still confused about the general design process developers use when writing event chains for PDX games. There's a balance to be struck between accuracy to the setting and the dynamic, random fun of Crusader Kings, and I'm curious as to how people account for that at both the writing level and in a programing sense as well.

I have a few specific questions to ask but any advice anyone can give regarding large-scale mod development would be very much appreciated and very very helpful.

1. When events in your setting are somewhat dependent on individual characters or titles to progress, how do you account for them potentially being dead or generally nonexistent?
2. What are the steps you take when planning out event chains based on existing material, historical or otherwise?
3. Overall, when designing different aspects of a mod would you rather account for divergences and give players options to guide their character, country, and the world, or keep things a little more constricted and railroaded in the emergent story of a playthrough?

I've been fumbling around for years improving different parts of what I have made and I'm very proud of it but if anyone can help give me a sense of direction I would be incredibly grateful.

Honestly, I have so many other questions that are likely very difficult to answer, so I'll list the aspects of my mod I have completed so far. What should I be doing next, do you think? ^_^

So far, I have:

• A mostly complete map with 900 or so provinces. I want to keep it smaller scale physically because I am one person and there's a lot of other places that detail can be channeled into. Also, I put way too much effort into making the map pretty but it's worth it because it keeps me motivated when I look at it.
• Two start dates, one of which has fleshed out history data but no major custom events, and the other with less defined source material but rudimentary events to dynamically flesh it out throughout a playthrough ala Stellaris; both of these have titles, cultures, religions, and map data 100% complete, and gaps in the source material's detail are filled with procedural characters I generated with python. (Mostly counts and some dukes, and every character has a full dynasty.)
• Good, yet not great custom portraits for almost everything that I'd like to replace when there's less important things to work on.
• A full set of cultures and religions.
• About 6,000 defined characters across both start dates.
• Not enough detail in any of these things, but it's important to start with the large scale stuff and work your way down here.
• Almost three years of time spent fumbling around and learning how to make a total conversion for a paradox game. Send help (and modding advice, haha)

I'd like to say that for however much of a challenge this is to do solo I'm not interested in forming a team, this is something I've been working on on my own for a very long time and I want to keep it a hobby, not an obligation to anyone but myself, until I feel comfortable with going a step further and publicizing things a little more.

Thank you so much for your help <3