So, I am new to this series, and I am finding it kind of hard. My biggest problem is that I never seem to have any money. I am always swimming in a sea of mana crystals, but never money. I sometimes get out-maneuvered, and I feel like no matter how much time I spend researching Casting Specialist, I never have the max mana I need to cast the spells that could work to my true advantage.

So I guess I am asking you guys: do you have any tips on economy, research, and defense? I'd appreciate any help! Thanks!

If you're playing a random map scouting early is everything.
Send out a lot of cheap units in all directions to look for unclaimed resources, cities, nodes and other useful things. You will lose most of them but in doing so you learn where the dangerous parts are and where to send your army that you're slowly building at home.
Don't go for the expensive troops at first and don't go crazy on building up your city. You can expand with cheap troops if you mass them with your harder starting troops and it's better to put your money on that and getting a new city in a safe spot.

If you find the enemy always send out cheap and fast raiding parties to annoy. Sometimes it triggers a big attack that can hurt you but for the most part you'll keep him chasing after your raiders while you take his resources by taking his buildings and tying up his troops (Always think about troops as resources. If his troops, resources, is chasing you they aren't adding to his growth.).

While you're raiding expand your territory in unclaimed directions. That way you should have enough resources if you don't go nuts adding buildings to your cities or mostly going for the expensive troops.

Don't forget about the cheap spells. They're really good at giving you that extra edge you need to win. Don't hoard your mana going for something big unless you have some grand plan that need it. Make the mana work.

Thank you! Do you have any advice for how to increase how much MP (spell points, whatever) is available? A lot of really cool spells need more spell points than I have, and even after having researched all of the spell-point increasing skills, then Channeler and having built that improvement that increases them by another 10 if your wizard is there, I still only have 80, which is only enough to cast some fairly weak global spells.

Hm. You do know that you can use many turns to cast a spell?
For example if a spell cost 100 mana to cast and you have 10 skill it will take you ten turns to cast that spell.

...wow. Thank you for clearing up one of the most basic problems I had with this game. Seriously. This will make things eight times easier. I feel like an idiot though. :D

No problem. :)
I can understand that you missed it if you haven't played them before.

my advice would be to huddle in the corner of your room with the lights off and rock back and forward whike saying ill never play aow2 again ill never play aow2 againill never play aow2 again ill never play aow2 againill never play aow2 again ill never play aow2 again