I must have played Anno 1404 over 400-450 hours by now (I've been playing it since they removed the DRM in the retail version and nowadays I play it from time to time - it is such a relaxing game) but I'm not sure I can give any tips for a beginner I always strived for making beautiful towns and I don't think I ever focused on efficiency. Spices, on the other hand, must be obtained by trading with Oriental islands, and that opens up a whole new aspect of gameplay that you can discover for yourself :) Balancing your production chains is literally the key to being successful in this game, so don't be afraid to google the ratios. You'll realise that each weaver's hut you build needs 2 hemp plantations to keep it running at maximum efficiency. Linen is your first intro to production chains, where the resources produced by one building are 'picked up' by another building, to create its own resource. Citizens now require Spices in their Food, Amusement from a nearby Tavern, and also Clothing, which is satisfied by Linen shirts.

Their houses will change appearance one-by-one to reflect this. Pretty soon you'll unlock the Citizen class, and your Peasants will start ascending classes if you keep them happy and reduce their taxes to DARK GREEN for a short period. You'll need lumberjack's huts to provide your own supply of Wood for building, as well as money, which is generated by the taxes you charge your people. Food and Drink can be satisfied by fishing huts and cider farms, Community by connecting Peasant houses to a Marketplace, and Faith by living inside the glowing area of a nearby Chapel. Your colony starts off as Peasants who only require Food, Drink, Community, and Faith. You generate those resources by building plants and connecting them to a warehouse via roads, which sends out carts to collect your fresh goods.

Hitting milestones unlocks new buildings and new civilization levels - social classes who demand certain resources to remain happy.

I'm only a beginner to 1404 myself, but the basic progression of gameplay is that you build houses to increase your population as much as possible. The campaign is a slowly-unfolding tutorial, yes.

Anno 1404 maps