Yeah, covered all that during original install. Made sure to follow install instructions exactly to avoid any added issues, but still had this happen.
On off chance I missed something, followed instructions again and checked against what you've just said to be sure, but yeah, did it all and still getting exact same errors.
These may be stupid questions, but always worth asking (per those errors):
Did you activate Aric’s and Restart the game before trying to start up the new game? That continue button works fine for 99% of mods, but Aric’s is a special snowflake and edits things that have to be reinitialized with a newly started game.
Are there any other mods involved?
The continue button will only work for mods that only change files that are only loaded and used when a progress starts (i.e. after the loading screen). Continuing without restart, was only intended for people who change their mind about the mods, especially if there were errors, as the mods can still be safely reverted at that point.
Yeah, always restart after mod activation. Usually forces me to anyway, but on rare occasions it doesn't manually close it anyway.
Normally use improved random portraits, but this mods info says that's compatible. And aren't even using it for these tests/reinstalls because want to get this working before try adding another mod.
The vanilla mod system always required a restart after applying mods. My bugfix, which is included as part of Aric's Mod, altered the mod system and added the option to accept the changes without restarting. If you do not receive a longer report after applying the mod or do not have two options afterwards, then it would mean that the files were not replaced properly.
Unless there were errors during the application of the mod, I am unable to determine the source of the problem. If all steps were followed correctly, then folder permissions become a possible source of problems. The patched mod system should report any problems opening or saving files.
The Strive Discord (https://itch.io/t/284398/discord) is a great place to resolve tough issues as we can share a lot of information quickly. Since simple reminders were not enough to fix it, the next steps will involve verifying each step and aspect of the process . Basically it involves checking the mod folder path in-game, the folder names and paths for the mod files and replaced files, and opening script files to verify that they have indeed been altered correctly.
