Couldn't recruit the same kobolds because it required a chaotic alignment.
I found the dwarf Havest interesting enough.
And Jaetal, in principle, wasn't the worst character, although the follower of Urgathoa could have been implemented in a much more interesting way.
Here's what else I wanted to say regarding the difficulty level. After all, a significant part of the game's atmosphere was precisely this feeling of the seven plagues of Egypt, and no matter how successful you were in the past, and no matter how well you developed your barony, one serious mistake – and that's it, goodbye. The consequences will range from simply unpleasant to fatal. This blended very well with the storyline, and if this aspect is weakened, I'm not sure the game won't lose a significant part of its charm.