For the 12E to start with, take a look at the nodemcu dev boards. More expensive but it's a great little board to start a project on and then go to the bare mo

For the 12E to start with, take a look at the nodemcu dev boards. More expensive but it's a great little board to start a project on and then go to the bare module since it includes all the usb<->ttl, and regulator stuff.