I’ve started Dward Fortress a bunch of times but I always feel like I’m messing something up and want to restart - never managed to play long enough to lose on it.
So I play both Rimworld and DF pretty often and I always tell people to play Rimworld first. Get used to the type of game itself and then step up to the big boy that is DF.
Both are very much worth your time, and I figure it’s a good introduction without being overwhelmed.