CTOs, imo, should absolutely be easier to do.
The problem with CTOs is that you essentially need an city for it. And we all know cities are pretty darn tough to get into an situation where you're free to even attempt a normal TO, let alone a colony. Even then, it demands a lot of military power.
Now, back when colony takeovers were introduced you could actually start one in any region you wanted. That made starting one quite a bit easier since you didn't actually have to break through level 5 walls and defeat a bunch of militia and your enemies whole army. I'm not saying that's where we should return necessarily, but perhaps it should be considered whether CTO in townslands/rich mountain regions should be allowed. Quite a few of them are as or close to as rich as the smaller cities we have and could thus easily provide a solid enough start for a new realm. Once the colony gets its first city/stronghold maybe have the peasants demand the capital be moved to the more secure location to discourage keeping the capital in the townsland forever to keep access to the extra bank.
Sure, the colony would probably need a bit more long term support if not started in an city, but the initial effort would be less. At least the choice would be the players to make. Besides, even failed colonies would add to the game.
