I disagree with your advice. I lost the first game to a crash and i’m still around. Hardcore gamers will very much play indie games since the strategy genre is very much underserved. It will not have mass appeal but that isn’t the developers goal.
When was the last mayor fantasy themed strategy game like WarCraft, Age of Mythology was released? I particaluarlly enjoy the lack of 3d graphics as it is much more laptop friendly.