How difficult is this game?

[Nikolai]

Note that province defense is VERY VERY different from nation to nation. Some have excellent PD that will stop, with 11 strength a barbarian invasion and with 21 strength a barbarian horde (very common random events) Other have such crappy PD that is not worth anything at all.

It is good to get a taste of PD strength. One easy way is to start test game with turmoil and misfortune, and wait for indy attack. See how your capital defenders do.

Right now I am playing game with very crappy PD. My capital lost to 34(!) barbarians. Now I am keeping reaction force to clear barbarians from my inner provinces.

In MP you seldom buy more than 1 PD in peace, or 11 PD in war. Yes, sometimes you want to create quick and cheap cannon fodder to shield real troops, and sometimes you do make trap for enemy... but PD against a player is worthless without real troops (and mages).