Abdication

Yes, there is a certain element of randomness. But that also makes the map more replayable.

So, it all depends on how you look at it. Some might say it's a random hassle. For example, to build a Dark Energy pillar, you need to find 5 sulfur. In some playthroughs, sulfur is found nearby with light protection, while in others, it's nowhere to be found. In one playthrough, I turned neutral creatures (like peasants and goblins) into skeletons and raised a group of vampires from riders. There were also more riders nearby, and by the second week, I'll have a completely different army of vampires that will crush everything nearby in auto-battle. Compared to that, if you start with fairies, imps, etc., and don't have the necessary resources, you won't be able to move more than a day's journey from your castle. So, in summary, the gameplay at the beginning simply boils down to finding the best conditions for the start. Or, if you don't look for the best conditions, it depends on how things fall into place to create a balanced and interesting situation, rather than something too easy and simplistic, or, conversely, impossible. And in this case, it also comes down to restarting the game. No matter how you look at it