If it's still stuck on save/reload, please provide the savegame too.

Just a bit of an update:

These issues only seem to occur while playing on a different windows user from the one Elemental was installed under. This second user should have full admin rights, so I don't see what the problem is, but there is something. Likewise, though I uninstalled Elemental before installing the pre-release version last night, I am (while playing on this second user) asked to customize my faction when starting a new game. Something that should no longer be possible, and which doesn't happen when launching the game from the first user's account.

So... yeah. Weird!

This was early enough that the only units I had were my Sovereign and Jan.

Yep, happens a lot when things get stuck, especially if they are on auto-explore.

For me it seems to be related to Janusk's little tutorial messages. Zooming in and out on a town or on my sovereign seems to work (most) of the time.

Happened to me as well.  It was due, for me, to having gotten a bunch of messages at once ... I got a new spell ... research completed ... and a scout I had all got attacked at once when I ended my last turn.

The first two windows (spellbook and research) came up, but the combat box never popped for the scout getting mauled by a big wolf, so the game refused to let me continue because it was waiting (I assume) for feedback from the scout.

I had to destroy the unit for the game to progress.