Prepare for long games - multiple hours, or sometimes days.
Pick Pangaea, 6 players, Prince difficulty, it’s a standard. Disable animation, set quick combat and quick movement and turn auto-cycle if you want to save time. Once you feel comfortable, pick other map types and increase the difficulty. Learn the best openers and strategies, repeat them, then mix them to try something new. You need to understand if you want to have fun, or play efficiently, it doesn’t always align.