OK. Thinking of Taking the Mod Plunge. Recommendations?

[CWMV]

Yes but if as you said you don't want to use the large packs then 4.10.1 with SAS modact is the way to go.
Installing mods one at a time let's you learn the process better then just extracting a modpack and then enabling via jsgme.
It's howany of us got started using mods. I didn't want anything that effected the FM's but I did want effects and sounds and maps. Modact let me do that.
Then I realised that most of the stock fm's were questionable, and then I started getting into the good stuff.