What is the easiest nation to play?

[Tifone]

For EA, I'm on Aby too, I'd say if it's your first games - take an Imprisoned pretender with strong scales and you'll learn a lot on using the shielded troops to protect the damage dealing unshielded ones from arrows - use battlemagic - straightforward rituals...

Still for EA, Ulm is generally quite simple too (you can pick decent scales and a dormant Red Dragon to help expanding in Dragon form or eventually casting Flaming Arrows in human form), and also Niefelheim for starting to get an idea of blessed SCs, Helheim and Vanheim for strong blessed troops, Yomi for straightforward battle magic, stealthy troops and mid-game SCs which make use of self-buffs and equipment.

[JimMorrison]

You know, I often see them overlooked, but my roommate learned the game by focusing exclusively on Tir na n'Og. Their glamoured infantry is a bit pricey (25g like Van et al), but if you go a pure scales strat for gold income, you can really do anything you want with the game, as long as you keep your troop count up. Those Sidhe are quite potent, and can generally defeat far larger AI chaff hordes with little bother other than forming a line with your squads, and setting them to Fire Closest.