First impressions of Cai’s route: read attack indicators and learn recruitment and exploration trade-offsMajor spoilers
From the prologue into Cai’s route, early lessons include attack indicators, Renown and Bond requirements, and knowing when to leave a dungeon.
Original video: Fortune's Weave: How entertaining can a tactical RPG beginner be? High technology meets magic? Gugu’s live playthrough, updated through P9 | Bilibili creator Zhugusheng Official
Prologue visuals and attack indicators
This first playthrough begins on Normal Casual. Holograms, handguns, and magic appear together in the opening, which is visually surprising. Character creation is fairly simple. Set an appearance and name, then continue quickly. The story presentation and speaking protagonist also draw me in more than expected.
The tutorial directly highlights attack relationships. Bow attack distances must match the grid. Holding a bow does not guarantee you can hit a nearby enemy. Use terrain too. Checking indicators before moving to an attack tile is safer than judging from memory.
Trying the final enemy and deploying for the carriage
When I saw the option to challenge the final enemy, I wanted to try. Could one person do it? Could I finish immediately? I quickly learned the team lacked the strength and HP, so I returned to saving people. Choosing 
Cai, watching him leave the village with his childhood friend, and heading toward the capital finally opens up the story.
In the carriage-protection battle, blue allied units can change starting positions, while green units are fixed. An archer should fall back after attacking, but not too far. If no target is reachable next turn, they must move forward again.
Recruitment needs both Renown and Bond
As soon as free time unlocks, I want to recruit people in town. But my Renown is only level two, while many require high Renown and Bond Level three. Liking their appearance is far from enough. Help people with requests to build Renown, then use gifts and meals to build bonds. High requirements tell you what to work toward.
This Cai route shows the following requirements:
Loretta
NinaeA lower Renown requirement does not mean immediate recruitment. The Bond requirement still needs work too.
Prepare dungeon supplies before exploring
Merchants, item exchanges, dungeons, and gradually opening routes make it tempting to keep exploring. But buying weapons and miscellaneous items quickly drains money. Reserve a budget for 
Vulnerary and exam licenses. Weekly activities also belong in the itinerary.
Inside the dungeon, shielded enemies stalled physical damage. Without a suitable defense-breaking weapon, I had to rely more on magic. As the team weakened and healing fell behind, pushing on became harder, so I left after finding the exit. Keep enough ingredients for resting in dungeons to restore HP and spell uses. Preparing the tools you have makes travel smoother.
Main-story objectives also provide strategy hints. If a battle blocks you, read those hints before deciding what preparation this attempt needs.