I can't agree with the statement that Rampart is weak; this castle has strong growth, even without dragons, and is further enhanced by numerous dwellings.

Firstly, I wrote the following:

I played on Jebus in TE and recommend playing on this version.

Secondly, numerous dwellings enhance all castles, not just Rampart. Kirr is good, but the logistics bonus for Kirr isn't that noticeable in the first week, and in the second week, a pass fight is more likely needed than a +5% bonus to Kirr's level!
This template favors castles that can easily reach level 7 with the castle itself in the first week, along with numerous dwellings, and their fast upgrade, followed by a FAST transition to treasure. It's harder to get gold for Rampart than for Arches, because they can be built at most on day 122, and a day's delay can cost you the game. Getting to the center 1-2 days earlier than your opponent is half the battle!!! The situation is somewhat different for the dungeon, because the summoning portal + troglodytes = very good.
I agree about the Barbarians, because the bears with dwellings are simply beasts.