Expand quickly with pioneers, and make sure to build basic troops to enhance your score and to use as meat shields in combat. A good basic unit is the club militia the game starts with.  After you research spears, use spearmen.  Don't pair up your sovereign and champions in the same army, they get their exp divided between them, and level up slower.  If you start really close to another enemy in the early game, build a quick army and rush them with all champs and troops, take their city, and then maybe even have their leader join you through diplomacy.  

Are you using a custom faction or a premade one?  One easy thing to do would be to create a custom leader for the Kraxis Empire, make your leader Death 2, Water 1 and wealthy, and choose whatever profession you like.  This will give you money to spend on units and buildings, so research civics first and rush a few things like early units and pioneers, and then research production and get a workshop.  Also, this build will give your Sov blind and slow spells in combat, and a research and unrest bonus spells for cities.  the Kraxis faction will give you one handed spears, and the ability to fortify.  After researching civics and production, research the warfare tech that gives spears and wooden shield.  Make your first units with that shield and spear and upgradable, they can be useful for a long time.     

Ill give that a try guys.  Also, what do shards do?  (I have a spell that converts them to death shards, but they don't seem to do anything except spawn a really weak demon