This game is so easy that most people probably don't need a guide, but I'll post it anyways.  I have tried many many ways on how to beat the game quickly on difficult levels (no, I don't have a life), and this archery approach seems to be the fastest one:

A. Start the game, You will need:

a starting character with "organized" skill, all other skills don't matter

a faction that starts with "archery" skill.

B. Early game

Use all your gold to buy a long bow.  I am not sure if this is a bug.  the archery tech should only give you short bow, but you can actually get a long bow.  The advanced archery should give you long bow, but it actually gives you nothing.

Then go look for some trouble.  Your faction leader with a bow should be able to take out any faction single handed.  Assume most ones you encounter don't have spells or bows at this moment.

After having 2-3 cities, get a wife, and you can relax for a while

C. Tech Knowledge

Forget about magic.  All you need is tech knowledge.  The main tech to focus on is Advanture.  The ones that give you additional resource.  You do need to pick up a few Civil to give you basic access to use these resources you get by learning Advanture.  At the same time, pick up a few things here and there from war and magic part of the tech, to get all the items that give you additional movement. 

When you level up, you only need to add more action points, and later on some strength maybe.

When town levels up, pick the tech knowledge bonus.

Your goal here is:

1. have all the rare resource to show up in your kingdom, which will give you more money than you can ever spend

2. get your tech knowledge per turn to be above 25 asap

3. put together a party of three.  Your faction leader equip long bow + all the items that add movement.  All other party members equip just a long bow.

D. Right After Early Game

Now you can walk around and beat up anyone you want, and kill some random encounters to beef up the party.  With "organized" skill and all the movement bonus on your faction leader, you can go anywhere you want in 2-3 turns, and come back home with teleport spell to pick up a few more items, or army.

E. Mid-Game

Now you can research a few things to create squads of archers.  You have so much money that you can build as many as you want.

F. End-Game

With all the archers, you group them with your faction leader to go out to enemies' town quickly, and finish the game.  Hopefully by then, all your children are still children.

Summary

1. Forget about magic.  Any NPCs increase Magic research, you can ignore.  You only research magic tech to get items

2. Most fancy civil tech are not needed since you will have so much mony by researching Advanture alone

3. Forget about diplomacy.  your do diplomacy by taking other people's kingdom