Gary, can I point you to Pathfinder:Kingmaker or its followup Pathfinder:Wrath of the Righteous if you haven't seen them. These should provide you with the experience you're looking for. The 3.5e system Pathfinder is based on is as far above 2e in complexity and verisimilitudinous modelling as 5e is below it - I think you'll be in heaven. Take a look.
I played Kingmaker. It didn't do it for me. I think I made it about 30 hours of gametime. I can't really put a finger on why i wasn't in heaven with Kingmaker, but it just didn't hook me.
