I can't really follow what you're saying dread, and seeing as how you it sounds to me like you might have a bad install, how's about you try downloading the latest version (the beta) and see if that works for you.
Or, more specifically, just download the CORE part and only run the CORE to see if it works on your comp. Having the Steam version doesn't change anything, and make sure you run the Entrenchment exe directly, do not use the Trinity launcher, as it's been reported to cause some problems.