Don't listen to the naysayers above. I played hundreds of hours of MH before ever trying its online part. It was already in the top 3 all-time franchises for me by then. Team hunting is endless fun, but personally I still prefer running through the single player alone first, to get the more epic feeling of taking down the beasts alone.
Take a look at the MH wiki or some walkthrough if you face issues with forging armors and you should be fine. I'm not a 'hardcore' player, of MH or anything else, and I easily fell in love with the series shortly after starting it. On my own.
