I completed the first mission, "Prisoner," version 0.8.1, on "Hero" difficulty. I've attached a replay of the final battle. The map's balance is perfect – it's as balanced as can be. A few details: I couldn't build the archer tower in the first week because I was short one stone. I also didn't buy the last batch of monks and archers from the tower due to the potential for a bottleneck on the bridge. I sailed to the Orc Castle, buying troops in the fourth week, without encountering the Necropolis – as expected, it didn't manage to capture its Castle. Also, increasing the time limit benefits the Orc, as its troop numbers increase faster than the player's.
This map made an overwhelmingly good impression on me. All that needs to be changed are purely cosmetic adjustments (shorten/move the bridge, adjust the number of stones in the pile). Provide some verbal hints to the player about the winning strategy. Something like: "Each day in captivity brings Warren incredible suffering – hurry, in 5 weeks it will be too late." And regarding the Necropolis – don't insist on mandatory city defense; use a different wording.