As one who has just arrived on Grepolis I must admit I have spent that gold to get me started. I don't regret letting Inno having some money to carry on providing games like this.
I've spent a few days now and read all the guides. I think I understand most of the early game mechanics and getting to understand what comes next when the BP ends and players start building CS.
I appreciate that for experienced players like *Conan it can be frustrating to see newbies like me buying their way into the game. Yet Grepolis like other games of its genre effectively rewards players who can invest the most time into it. Even with BP anyone learning this game with big alliances around will quickly find themselves swamped by the big guys.
So yes, I've thrown a bit of cash at the game to give me better odds at lasting for longer. Although I'll try to keep my head down and be diplomatic in my dealings with others - don't want to draw too much attention to myself just yet. Because I've spent that cash I have a lot more options open to me now instead of having to wait a day for resources to build that next farm and I can develop strategies around multi-cities in time to face the more experienced players.
Is it worth it? Hmmm ... the cost of a theatre ticket, two seats at the cinema, a meal out for two - perhaps not. So maybe I have more money than sense but I'm here to play the game.