What are your favorite mods to improve the balance and/or pacing of Civilization 6?

(Vanilla) Civ6 feels like a mad dash to the modern era that turns into a pseudo-World War simulator at the end. Previous civ games have felt similar.

Ancient warfare seems basically meaningless unless the player is specifically trying to pull-off some sort of early game blitz, i.e., Gilgamesh or Trajan, or perhaps if the barbarian settings are maxed out.

With ancient warfare being so lame, focusing on a peaceful playstyle feels correspondingly boring and low stakes.

I feel like this game wants to force me to play as either Queen Victoria or Abraham Lincoln, wage nonstop war after the invention of gunpowder, and only go for a non-domination victory if I get bored of painting the map and decide to pivot last minute.

Are there any recommended mods that slow down the early game and make pre-gunpowder gameplay more interesting? Balance out the massive disparities between civilizations & leaders?