This is what I have experienced as well; if anything is a threat to early cities, it's skeletons. This is especially true if there are multiple nearby barrows or a "lucky" Sailor's Dirge.
So why is it that Lizardmen will often leave your Workers alone, but Skeletons won't pass up a chance to kill one? Is the AI treating the Lizardmen as a scout of some sort? To my understanding, the AI can always see the entire map anyway.
might i suggest everyone here in this thread report what settings they use, because i know skeletons are a real threat on the epic speed, on normal speed, for me, they are just xp fodder as long as i can get 2 warriors out before they swarm, or get one some descent xp atleast, thus tilting the odds in my favor. But i think map and speed, and player settings play a huge part in this. for instance i like 11-14 nations, huge map, usually continents, normal speed. raging barbarians(does that actually affect liz's and skels that spawn from barrows and ruins, or just the orcs and goblins, and maybe animals?) this often means more barrows and ruins and they aren't found and destroyed before they start spawning.
and i have to say just the opposite is true for me, skeletons usually leave my workers alone unless they are directly in the path to the city, plus with move 1, they are easy to out run, and often leave you plenty of warning.Lizardmen force me to hide my workers since, while with a skeleton i can move them to the opposite side of the barrow(s), with lizard men, they simply sneak around whenever i move them. when a lizardmen first appears, he usually won't attack, which is good since usually everyone has a task and by the time i've seen the lizardman my turn is over and the workers move spent(annoying), but after that they pick them off whenever the oppertunity presents itself.
I've found lizardmen will attack my newly created cities, regardless of number of defenders, if they can get to it in the first couple of turns(before the fort bonus, or culture bonus kicks in) and while my capital *tends* to be safe, if its on desert, or flood plains(which become desert) it seems to encourage them to take a stab at it, especially if they already have a promotion or two.
which is in my oppinion, where the real problem lies. Lizardmen level so dang fast, since their first kills are isolated warriors or scouts, they've already got combat 2 or 3 by the time they start circling my cities, turning their 3 into a 4.2 or 4.8 against my lowly 2.0(attacking) or at best 3 defending. then the barbs show up, weakening my troops, and the liz's have a field day.
i am glad mobility was moved, now they don't seem to ever get it, meaning no move 4 lizardmen popping in and out of the fog of war, slaughtering my people without warning, that was really aggrevating.