So now that I'm downloading the game, has anyone got some tips for a first time player?

Once you claim a monument, all enemy bases still standing will start spewing out bad guys. Therefore, you should typically try and demolish as much as you can using only your avatar.
It's also helpful to save right when you first enter a new area. Since it isn't a straight RTS you don't have the benefit of a "restart scenario" button.

One that got me for a while was targets and spells/actions.
I had a tendency to choose the action and try to select the target. Because of the isometric view I was constantly in this made it difficult if my target was either behind something, moving erratically or under a tree.
Instead, select the target and applicable spells will show up under the hero.

Thanks for those, they're definitely handy tips. I've gotten to the stage now where I'm trying to take everything but the big bases with my avatar (gave her healing magic so she can hang in a fight a bit longer). Does the enemy activation thing happen with hero monuments as well as race monuments? I try to avoid the hero ones as well but I have to say they'd be pretty handy to have, especially the fighter I just got & equipped with flaming scimitars...
The main problem I have with the game now is the lack of a pause & order system, not so I can queue up a lot of actions but because it can be pretty hard to target a moving enemy

You can safely activate hero monuments. It's only when you take a race monument that all hell breaks loose.
I use a lot of auras and area effect spells because of this.

Ooh well thats handy to know, presumably the race ones count as your first building. I just had my first encounter with dryads, DEFINITELY worth the lenya to summon them, hope I can do that more often.

I bet many people bought many RPG games which didnt know anything about, their decision based solely on the game's suggestive cover artwork. : D

Hi:Good to see many people are playing spellforce,Order of dawn.So heres a little help for leafshade.I had to redo it because of the goblins and orcs.or those guys,(forgot their names.oops)Anyways i built my base,then i built alot of towers before i moved down the path.Stopped my workers from gathering stone,iron,and food.It returns if you wait,having alot of towerss keeps the enemy at bay,and lvls up your avatar..I got two lvls here just letting towers kill the enemy off.Then after iron and stone are back up to over 1200,move down to the bottom of the path.still putting up towers.then wipe out the camp to the right,on the hill,keeep a watch on the camp in front,and put more towers,back at your base,collect fish,build a grainfarm,these produce alot of food.then just keep doing the same,i finished leafshade with 8k in wood,3k in stn,3700 iron,23k in food,but what i didnt like was Sgt einar running off into battle,I want control,so my guys dont get dead. whats yor strategy.

I've played the game from the start so i'm quite familiar with the game :)
I see you learn fast amigo , the towers are key here to get those needed levels.
Never leave your resources unattended. Keep harvesting untill the workers don't do anything anymore. Then just leave 2 workers in place and use the rest somewhere else.
Those 2 will keep getting in the resources.
To avoid Einar running through the mountains like an overdose dumbass is keeping your avatar behind the troops. Use the rest of your heroes upfront to protect the archers.
Einar is attached with an auto follow command to your avatar. You can only get him moving when you move.
I used about 40 archers + 15 healers + 15wardens (just to form a line before the archers and protect them if needed.
Note that you can fix troops on the spot by pressing H
This is quite interesting for building op efficient barriers and killing enemies quickly.

Wildland pass.Well i am now in the next stage.and again Towers are key to keeping the enemy at bay No not hudson bay,joke.I played this game when it first came out years ago,but when i couldnt beat the shadow thingys,i gave up,DOH well this time in going to finish it,Im thinking i might have taken the wrong avatar,i took a mage instead of a warrior,is this a bad choice,cannot use the magic pants,dang was hoping to dance the enemy to death.hee hee.And cannot use the better armors.Let me know.

Blade Warriors.Can someone tell me how to fight these weirdos,with attitude.I am there now,cleaned out all the enemys.got the banner,and other goodies.had ALOT of towers again,saved my guys getting butt kicked.Now i have the tree walker,and a massive army.thankyou

well if you have the elves at hand its rather easy.
Place about 10 towers before brannigan send em after our avatar
set up the healers at the end and use your archers + towers to keep em under fire while you run cercles with your avatar. the blades will follow you and you'll be healed when hit.
thats how i did it , they leave good loot usually.

You will be able to put on the LEVEL based armor that come later on in the game. The rest of your armor will be skill based depending on your mage.
You have armor that is skill specfic like elemental 7 or white magic 5.
So you'll always be able to wear something instead of running around in your undies :)

Use about 40/45 archers + 10/15 healers + 10wardens + your avatar
this should be quite sufficient to clear the level.
Hero in front , wardens behind , archers , healers = easy victory

I just ended up letting him run off and get beaten down to 1 hit point by the baddies. The other guys in his squad will die, but the Sergeant's apparently immortal and will eventually crawl his way back to your position. Heal him up and let him go on his merry way again, while you worry about your own troops. ;)
Side note: I actually couldn't get Einar's strategy to work in Leafshade, the armies pured out of the canyon way before I could get archers up on the heights. I used a worker squad at the back of my pack to construct White Hands at strategic points along the way. We'd attack, then lead the pack of nasties back to our "safe zone" around the White Hand, where we proceeded to take them out. This method minimized troop losses along the route.