[Ironhawk]

Atrocities, the things I like best are:
-Lack of MM. Most of my turn time goes into strategic thinking only
-Extreme Depth. Constantly surprised at all the new combinations of abilities.
-Solid balance. You'd think given the depth there would be a clear best path, but no.
-Sustained Fighting. Unlike some empire-building games, losing a big battle does not mean you will lose the war.

And as for getting into the game - reading has never been my thing (at least before I play with something). If you are like this too, I suggest you play your first SP game with Ulm. They have pratically no magic, so you can basically ignore that entire part of the game. That will give you an opportunity to understand recruiting, movement, and combat mechanics. Once you've done that, move on to a more magical race.

Lastly, the only word of warning I would give is: resist the temptation to build units in every province you take! I did this because I thought I was tyring to "maximize production" originally. But in truth, your national troops (from your Forts) are way better so only build there unless you need a particular indy unit.