Well, that is odd. Take your time, though. Being that this is the first turn I'll certainly be more lenient on the 48 hour rule...
You might also check around on various forums. Maybe even make a thread of your own over at twcenter.net. Those guys are almost always willing to help.
The only thing I can think of that might be the problem right now is that there are old files in your virtual store that are conflicting, somehow, with the ones in your program files. That is actually a somewhat common issue. Just be sure to clear out all those virtual store files as well as those in your base M2TW folder whenever you reinstall.
And, if you ever do reinstall, you might consider downloading the install files again. Sometimes, certain files can be corrupted over download, and, besides, it couldn't hurt.
Also, I did change the descr_strat file so we could have all factions playable. That shouldn't interfere with anything (it hasn't seemed to with anyone else), but it's worth a try. Just go to broken_crescent/data/worlds/maps/campaign/imperial_campaign to get to the descr_strat file. Then just move all factions under "nonplayable" to "playable." You'll probably have to delete the "map.rwm" file again afterward, too.
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