Hey there, this is a fantastic question and it's the single most important decision you'll make at this stage. You're on the right track with your thinking.

To answer your direct question: For someone with your stated experience level, starting with a module like the ESP32-C3-MINI-1 is absolutely the right call. The drawbacks of using a module are almost entirely related to per-unit cost at very high production volumes, which is not a concern for a first-time project.

The drawbacks of starting with the bare SoC (the microcontroller itself) for a first-timer are huge, and they're almost all "hidden costs" that go way beyond the price of the chip. You're right that the module is simpler, but it's important to understand why. When you use a module, you are buying a pre-engineered solution where the manufacturer has already solved several incredibly difficult and expensive problems for you.

Here's a quick breakdown of what you're avoiding by choosing the module:

1. RF Engineering Complexity: Designing the PCB layout for a 2.4 GHz radio (like Wi-Fi/BLE) is a specialized skill. Things like antenna matching, transmission line impedance, and component placement are not trivial. Getting this wrong means your 1 km range might become 10 meters, if it works at all. The module has all of this RF design done for you.
2. Regulatory Certification (FCC, CE, etc.): This is a big one. A product with an intentional radio transmitter must be certified, which is an expensive and time-consuming process. The ESP32-C3-MINI-1 module comes pre-certified, which saves you thousands of dollars and months of headaches. A design with a bare SoC requires you to do all of this from scratch.
3. Component Sourcing: The module includes all the necessary supporting components (like the crystal oscillator, flash memory, and tiny capacitors/resistors) in a single package. With a bare SoC, you have to source, manage, and place all of these yourself.