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I still haven't beat it but the 2 tips I learned that changed the game for me are:

1. Don't select your building blueprints right away. Wait until you've unlocked more of the map to see what you can actually use

2. Build the crude workshop ASAP and start making planks and fabric

Did you try it recently or during EA? They added an extensive guided tutorial/story now that gets you through the beginning.

Other than that, the best advice I ever got was not to go too wild with the glade openings, only do it if you need something otherwise you're just raising the hostility for no reason.

Beside each race portrait there is an expanded menu that shows what makes them happy. Referencing this menu is essential to ensure your workers don't die or leave. I pretty much always get a lumber mill or carpenter asap to help speed up plank production too. Cloth and brick production are pretty essential too, but with planks alone you can at least get everyone housed in the large shelters.

My main suggestion is to set your recipe limits - if you just keep making everything beyond reasonable levels, you run out of materials nonsensically, i.e. "No, I REALLY don't need 200 brick, thanks, I'd rather have some pottery, just a LITTLE BIT, PLEASE"

This was me too. I know I would love it if I gave it the time but my first few playthroughs didn't catch me right away. Couldn't get into the game loop