Recently some friends and I got together to play the Game of Thrones board game, but the game didn't happen. 

We spent an hour setting the game up, and started learning the rules, before giving up as too complicated. 

As the games master I screwed up by not being more prepared (ie. familiarising myself with the rules before hand), but I get the feeling that this might have been a difficult task anyway.

What's the best way to introduce this game to people who haven't played before?