[KissBlade]

Pay heed to Tyrant and Quantum_mechani's advice in this thread. They're probably the ones that hold most resolute. As for a good starter nation, EA Jotun is one of the easier themes to play. You also want to try nations with archers as they play a huge role in most military, EA Tien Chi's another nice pick to LEARN the game (they are not very beginner friendly to win with however) as they offer a great deal of versatility in terms of battle magic, summoning, sacred, archery, etc. Other recommendations are nations that start off with good national recruitable troops such as Man or Marig. (Though Marig has an array of problems from the fire magic)

PS. Plug for my guide, but also you can take a look at my sig guide for a preview of how most MP games are played. (Though I'll be honest, there's a bit of magic at "learning the ropes" on your own)