A bit of a grind.
Early game survival really is a question of luck....
Random events will absolutely ♥♥♥♥ you up.
Some 'bad' random events, if accepted often enough (WHY WOULD YOU?!) will grand you a hero... such as the engineer who will be part of your heroes only if you always help smelly travelers that will, most of the time, steal your crap.

So, lots of random events with very bad consequences, extremely hard start... it's ok. The end justifies it... but barely...

A bit of a grind. Early game survival really is a question of luck.... Random events will absolutely fuck you up. Some 'bad' random events, if accepted often enough (WHY WOULD YOU?!) will grand you a hero... such as the engineer who will be part of your heroes only if you always help smelly travelers that will, most of the time, steal your crap. So, lots of random events with very bad consequences, extremely hard start... it's ok. The end justifies it... but barely...