Until now, in Dom1 & 2 (demo), I like to play Rainbow Mage with Ulm - the best one IMHO being the Sage (in Dom2Demo the Alchemist still costs 100 pts, it should be fixed in the next patch).
Ulm doesn't really need a fighting pretender in the early game, and having a good researcher (even with Drain3 a Sage has 20+ RPs) gives you the edge in magic initially.
So I hurry Research for Cons4, then make Earth Boots, Dwarven Hammer (forge -50% total with Smiths), and go straight to Conj4 to get Fall Bears. All this is done by turn 15. Then the Pretender goes searching for sites, letting Smiths conjures thes Bears and hopefully indy sages make the research (Evocation then Enchantment), while he makes a tour of the realm. With this Ulm now has one of the best income, forges many items at half cost, and the smiths can now accompany armies casting cool spells like Legions of Steel, Earth Elementals or Fireballs...
Eventually when facing a SC it can be pretty hard, but Ulm units are quite resistant and often can manage that (I've seen -in a solo game- an enemy Cyclops fall to my garrison crossbowmen thanks to a bolt in the eye !
)
Anyway it's pretty fun and interesting
