Any good tips for starting out?

[Drysh]

hmmm.. None of the above.

I start with half my troops with each commander to get some resources quickly. After that, it depends on the type of commander.

I suggest using your commander only in the beginning of the game, because it will be probably your stronger unit at the time. After a while is too dangerous to loose him, and he won't make much difference in a fight. You may loose your bonus (some of them) if your commander dies. But some commanders may be used the whole game (like the Warlock after binding 3 or 4 earth elementals) and some should stay home to be more efficient (like the Shaman).

To protect you base, leave 2 soldiers there in the beginning, and recruit some more later. This will prevent the lone independent to take your base.

Strategy 4 is the only one that can defeat the computer with "gods reborn" adversaries on an enormous world.