I just finished my ironman of this game, it was the first ironman I've ever attempted and I can confidently say that you should at least try ironmanning a game in this series at least once. I didn't reset my entire game if I got a game over however and if you just want to casually play around with permadeath I recommend you do the same. Permadeath is actually a really fun mechanic and can really bring some overlooked units into a new light. For example I used Kane in my playthrough because aside from Finn all my other cavs had died and he was the next best thing and he ended up being one of my favorite units to use. I can say the same about Homer who got 2 lucky move level ups on the map he joined in and with use of paragon I was quickly able to turn him into a power house. Permadeath is a really interesting mechanic, and it'd be a shame to not at least do one playthrough of any fe game enforcing it. Kaga was right, you shouldn't worry about the perfect ending where everyone lives or the super optimal plays everytime you play this game. Create your own story of how Leif clawed his way back and retook Leonster while preceding to take down a faction of the Loptr church. You'll probably make an unforgettable playthrough and discover some favorite units you would usually overlook.