The release date of the expansion pack is approaching.

Do you want to bring TE closer to SoD, and why? Most casual players are quite satisfied with the current state and will stick with pure SoD, while those who play TE would prefer it to be even further removed from SoD.

Exactly!!! The main question that no one from the TE community has answered for me is: what exactly is TE? Is it truly the ideological successor to SoD, more advanced and improved, or is it a similar but completely different game?
So far, I haven't heard anything concrete. For now, I have the impression that sometimes it is beneficial to present TE as the ideological successor, and sometimes as a completely new game. Like "...a little bit man, a little bit woman...".
People will only become genuinely interested in TE when the idea of this game is formulated.
The phrase "...and those who play TE would prefer it to be even further removed from SoD..." seems honest and truthful to me.

TE was created for active players with a competitive spirit, who value turn time and don't want to lose due to chance.

I read player reports on TE and constantly hear complaints about this very randomness.

All changes in TE regarding specializations, starting armies, magic, etc., have very serious justifications. And if these justifications are not obvious to a person, then they are playing for the sake of the game itself, and the result is practically not important to them; it's a pleasant and relaxing pastime, so to speak, then TE is not for them.

Personally, the result is not important to me; I play for relaxation. But in the times of Chaos, Joker, Bishop, Mega Dog, Phil, and many others, it was a little different. And I didn't hear that these wonderful players were thrilled with TE.

If you are an ordinary player, sitting with a beer and clicking the mouse, then these classes, monster experience, and the precise knowledge of which castle takes which resource are simply not needed; it's just extra stress.

It's not just about beer and stress. How can I put it... for example, two girls walk by, approximately the same height and age. And when you pass by one girl, you remain indifferent, but when you pass by the other, your heart gently aches, for some unknown reason... in short, TE is "not my girl".

Again, there is no need to accuse people of not taking resources "quickly enough". After all, those unreal guys who quickly take resources had a head start of several years. Give the players of this forum a year or two, and they will learn too. It seems to me that each community goes through its own path of development; it should not be someone's appendage.