Just got SH5, stock game looks interesting

[jscharpf]

So I figured I can't go wrong with $9.99 for SH5. I bought it from Amazon, installed it, updated to 1.2.
So I'm on the stock game. Having played SH3 and SH4, I understand there will be lots of mods to choose from. I won't ask about that here, because I know I'll need to just search and read others opinions.
However, what I would like to ask is this. Does anyone here play the stock game (upgraded to 1.2). Right now I'm just exploring a new career. It definitely is a different interface from what I'm used to!
Is it possible to play the game like this or do I need to install one or more of the mods to avoid any major bugs?

So far it seems to run fine, but again, I'm just starting out, trying to figure out what I'm doing.. was supposed to sink the first 4 ships, and well, that didn't go too well.

Also what do I get with the gold edition?

Finally, do the mods change the background music or the crew voices? I like everything as it is so I hope not to change those two things when I add a mod.

Jeff