As a tribe, they start with less tech (though they do have some tech that the space people lack) and get research penalties when researching high-tech projects. Another scenario has you playing six lost tribespeople trying to build a new home.
He starts with a lot of wealth and research, but is alone. “For example, we have a scenario where you play as a lone rich guy out seeking adventure, trying to build a colony on his own. RimWorld will be expanded with a new scenario system that allows you to select from a bunch of different starting conditions, or to create your own. Here’s a bit more info on scenarios, from the linked blog post: RimWorld is an ambitious sci-fi colony sim inspired by Dwarf Fortress, Dune and Firefl.
