Surviving on Impossible

[Zhuangzi]

Fresh my my successes on Hard as a Paladin and Mage, I am ready to try Impossible for the first time. Firstly, I feel certain that playing as a Mage MUST be easier than as a Paladin and especially a Warrior, so I'm going with the Mage. Why? Because as a Mage you can limit your troop losses moreso than as a Warrior. I know Warriors get higher leadership (i.e. more troops) and faster ragebox progression, but I feel that this isn't as good as the Mage's access to the Magic tree (including Higher Magic) and Alchemy.

Plus, rage progression is slowed significantly on Impossible. I think it's 70% of the normal rate of progression. But it says nothing about spell progression, i.e. Mage is suited to Impossible.

Okay, looking at the starting screen, it seems that the biggest issue the Mage (and any class) will face on Impossible is that of money. You only get 60% of the money you would get on Medium, which I am guessing will be a serious issue as the game goes on. I just about managed to deal with money problems on Hard, but 60% sounds very low.

The other difference is listed as Enemy Strength on the startup screen. I take this to mean the size of enemy stacks, but I'm not sure this is the case. If Enemy Strength on Impossible is 170%, this should mean that the stacks of enemies are 1.7 times bigger, correct. Well, in actual fact it seems to relate to the amount of experience needed to gain a level. I noticed that on Medium you need 100 xp to reach level 2, and on Impossible you need 170. So is this what is meant by Enemy Strength? Or are the stacks bigger as well?

Those of you who have beaten the game on Impossible (i.e. Russian guys), I am looking for a few tips. I realise that I need to develop a strategy that revolves around NOT losing troops, but how do you do this early in the game? I know Demon Portals are great but I won't have access to them for ages, will I?

Any advice would be appreciated.