[Meglobob]

Try to build a fort ASAP as it doubles your research/troop output and numbers matter early game but not at the cost of early game expansion. The indie provinces at the beginning are the easiest you are ever likely to take. So you want as many as possible.

Listing the spells useful to your nation is good, then you can optimise your research. Some nation guides already do this for you.

Wether your research is long term or short term depends on your neighbours and the chance of war vs peace. Long term is making a beeline for artifacts, elemental royalty, to name 2 examples, you want to be 1st. Short term research is evocation spells/thugs/summons that you need to fight a early/mid game war.