While in a constant state of incremental releases (ala Dwarf Fortress) "Master of Mana" is the latest craziest FFH incarnation out there. It's FFH pushed towards the classic Master of Magic mechanics. I typically hate high fantasy too, but it's a definite must play in terms of seeing how much the mechanics have been altered and expanded.
http://masterofmana.com/I kinda dig "Rise of Mankind," but inevitably I always hit a game-stopping bug 5 to 10 hours in, and alot of the new content just feels like bloat after awhile. It's a perfect illustration of the golden paradox of modding: more content does not necessarily equal a better game.
For my precious gaming hours, Rise and Fall of Civilization (RFC) is where it's at. An early build shipped with the game, but a finished build has been out for years now. (OMG, a finished mod!?!) The main feature is that there's lot's a tweaks and mechanics that keep the world and gameplay roughly adherent to real-world geopolitics. It's amazing to see a great power such as the Ottoman Empire get clobbered in a war, and then suddenly splinter into Egyptians and Babylonians. The whole rise, fall, and re-emergence of civilizations keeps the gameplay from turning into the great big micromanaged game of Risk that late game Vanilla feels like.
http://rhye.civfanatics.net/pages/civ4-RFC-description.php