Set work priorities on day one
The default priorities leave colonists idle while critical tasks wait. Assign one dedicated doctor, one cook, one grower, and give everyone a shared hauling priority.
Build in this order
Shelter with beds, a storage room with a roof, a kitchen separate from the butcher table, then a research bench. Food poisoning from a dirty kitchen kills more early colonies than raids do.
Grow the food you can store
Rice grows fastest; corn stores longest. Plant a mix, and build a freezer with a cooler set below freezing as soon as you have power.
The first raid is a test of positioning
Sandbag or wall cover plus one corridor that funnels raiders into your shooters wins fights you would otherwise lose outright. Do not fight in the open.
Do not recruit everyone
Every colonist adds food demand and a mood event risk. Only take prisoners who fill a missing role, and check their traits before committing.
Manage mood, not just health
A mental break at the wrong time is worse than an injury. Separate bedrooms, a decent dining room and a table to eat at prevent most breaks cheaply.
Pick the storyteller you want
The storyteller setting decides the pacing of events. If you want to build rather than survive, choose the calmer option and change it later — the setting is adjustable mid-game.