mimevictim

The game should still be in beta, they should have aimed for their other possible release date which was Feb 2011 IIRC. Stardock still has a way to go to make this the game they talked about on their forums before and during the beta.  That game is probably a pipe dream though, so how about good modding and map making tools, because what we have now is surprisingly shittastic.
 
I used to have a lot of respect for Stardock (even though I agree with the people that say their games "have no soul") which is why I preordered, but this has been a disaster.
 
The forum drama is the icing on the cake. Smug Dude vs Smug Dude, round one, fight!

Don't waste your time on the physical book.

I've been playing the beta and think this game could be great. I have some concerns (balance, multiplayer, magic is boring, interface is clunky in some spots, etc etc) but Frogboy, the lead dude at Stardock, says the release version will be much better in most of these areas. He also said (IIRC) that this game is going to be Stardock's focus for atleast a few years now. So we should see plenty of updates and expansions like they did with Galactic Civilizations II.
 
I'm really looking forward to the release, to say the least. This game could be a real gem. At worst, it will be a sandbox for the modding community to make an amazing fantasy TBS. I will even be putting Civ 5 on the back burner for this.

I hope GB does a quick look some day! I think Dave would like this game.