You're right, the bronze age sucks. It's too much of a grind. I think my first run through was the only time I bothered to make bronze armor. The troll armor easily gets you to the iron age. You only need enough to make the forge, the bronze pickax, the bronze ax (so you can get fine wood), the cultivator and whatever you need to upgrade them.
Take out the Elder as soon as you can and move on to the swamps.