I didn't find it difficult at all to get started. I like to cook, and making beer was sort of a natural extension. What got complex was the amount of gear I accumulated: 6.5 gallon glass carboys, soda kegs, True beer tap cooler, miles of tubing, chests full of goofy fittings and miscellaneous brewing gizmos. I whittled a lot down when I moved out to The Ranch.
In truth, you should start with some basic stuff. I started with swing-top bottles, but tired of the cleaning and filling, and went to 5 gal. soda kegs. You can easily convert an old fridge into a beer cooler with a tap sticking out the door or side. This site:
Williams Brewing will have everything you need, or you can find a local homebrew shop (In Fort Worth:
BrewHound ) that will have most knowledgeable geeks there to dole out advice.
Don't be frightened by the umpteen-gazillion strains of yeast, or hops, or grains available nowadays. It is still the same, simple, straightforward process it ever was, only now with a host of available destinations we didn't have way back when.