The start can be really disturbing I think, but in my opinion it keeps getting really easier quite quickly if you optimize your way of playing. But then I think you can clearly play recklessly and impose yourself handicaps .... because in the end, the history you create is the reward so in my opinion, the core feature of that game is the role play.

I didn't finish the game yet, I read somewhere there was difficulty levels to unlock (I may be wrong), but it's nothing like FTL.

This is why the first thing you should do is go into settings and increase Injury risk. They can become more likely to sustain injuries after battle, quite likely to sustain them if they have fallen, even if you get them back on their feet during battle. Chance of death while they are fallen on the floor during battle, and most importantly probably in this case, injuries will actually lead to death if untreated, rather than fatally injured :)

(not all from one setting, it's several)

You can also increase the AI so they start playing better, like actually using all their abilities. On the best AI you can also forget about them foolishly triggering any attacks of opportunity :)

Scary difficulty?

It looks too hard, then again I've never been much for strategy games.

Thanks for this thread Fenixp. Not sure how I missed the thread before now. I've always loved games like this and this one is currently near the top of my wishlist here. Am bummed it doesn't appear to be part of the summer sale but one can hope for a late surprise before the sale ends.
Thanks for taking the time to explain the mechanics of the game a little bit which only has me more enthused for it now!!

Its fun I just read a review in A Danish paper today (the Devs are Danish) which was very good and now I stumble on this thread maybe the universe is trying to tell me something. Sadly games apparently can't go on sale from Denmark so I would have to get it at full price and with all the good games on sale this will have to wait ;)

I bought the game some hours ago and so far, it seems very well made. The writing is good. Combat is hard though if my first 2 real battles accurately represent combat in this game. BUT the game is not hard because the people under your command who go down during combat, don't die. They just get incapacitated. So it's not like XCOM...

Oh hell no, I'm glad it's not all that difficult :D I really do suck at TBS games.

Check the difficulty settings.

It's on the setting below the Cortes setting. Columbo setting, if I remember correctly.

PS
One negative thing(if you like realism) about this game is female soldiers. Not very realistic. Adding female soldiers in a game about Conquistadors in the 1500s is no different than adding automatic weapons, tanks and helicopters. But hot Spanish chicks in Spanish armor with swords and other weapons fighting in a steamy jungle, is also a very nice image so this can be seen as positive thing too depending on your tastes.

What I meant was go to the Options, where you can tune the difficulty. Sudden Death gives a chance of KO'd units dying.

And yeah, the developers have addressed the woman thing. Their reasoning was basically that there's no reason to limit the player's options, since the game doesn't stop you from being all men if you want.

I forgot that the female soldiers aren't forced on you. So yeah, it's not a problem then for people who demand realism. And I'm glad, they found a way to make the game appeal to all kinds of people.

And before anyone thinks I'm being crazy for wanting realism in games. How would you like it if this was really in Lord Of The Rings? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ot9JtiHhiU

He reminds me of Doviculus, lol. Well, LotR adaptation has the fish & chips joke and other inconsistencies.

Columbo or Columbus ? Columbo must be very hard .... talking about your wife to mind hack indjuns can't be easy feat ! Is your only weapon shackles ?