Nice work on this game! I've played a few times now and it was enjoyable each time. The first time I played I found it very easy, but that was due to me misunderstanding the rules about troops that you did defeat on the way to the fortress being added to to the forces to beat. My next few play-throughs were much more challenging :-D
I concur with what Vijil wrote about the atmosphere and being drawn into the game. Personally I didn't mind the random travel amounts. It helped the story I was telling in my head about struggles of moving an army through the mountains, plus it changes the landscape a bit with each play through. The drawback though is that sometimes it can be really easy and sometimes it can be really hard.
I really enjoyed the card mechanic as a way to manage resources and movement. I've been drawn to games that use a standard playing card deck lately. Even though it's random, it gives you a nice decision space to work with and definitely experienced that with your game.
I liked the idea of the spaces with suits powering up your cards. I wonder what the experience would be like if they were more of risk to get to. They are super helpful when you're on them, what if it took more time or resources to reach those spaces?