Hi, Ben. I usually advise beginners to lurk a game or two, first. You seem to be itching to play, though. May I advise, then, that you shouldn't let that anxiety work against you. Online roleplaying is (usually) about enjoying reading and writing. Although I have seen games where the DM doesnt care about writing nice posts, but just get the mvoes fomr the players instead, I believe most DMs want players who try to roleplay well their characters and to write good quality posts. Those DMs also look for good quality characters, and in online roleplaying the character's background is one of the most important things. So, this is where that anxiety can ruin it for you, because you could try to finish your character as quick as possible and not pay as much attention ot that background story as you should. PBP/PBEM is more detailed and descriptive than Table Top, because the environment allows it to be so, and it counterballances with the slower speed. That means, generally speaking, that your character's background is supposed to be a lot more detailed and descriptive than a background story you'd create for a table top game.
You can find games here, at:
http://www.enworld.org/forumdisplay.php?f=15
Or you can go to portals/sites made especially for PBP/PBEM, such as:
www.rondaksportal.com
www.barroks-tower.net
www.rpol.net
www.playbyweb.com
Regarding question #2, yes, a new player can join a game. It's mostly all about writing and reading. I have once accepted a player who had know idea of how to create the character sheet, but he was a hell of a writer, so I accepted him only based on his background and created the character sheet together with him, step by step. Point is, if you can write and read, you can play. Be careful again with that anxiety. It can ruin not only your background stories, but also your posts in the game. Whenever you receive a post to reply to, dont just write something in two minutes. I bet your DM, if he cares about the quality of his game, didnt write his post in a couple of minutes. Most good DMs I know take good care in sending a high quality post, that not only describes the scene, but reads easily and motivates the player. You should enjoy doing this, enjoy retributing the same quality. So take your time, fill yourself a mug of coffee, stare at that post and ponder your next move. Really roleplay the character and find the best way to write that post, instead of just sending a technical move.
About question #3 (Combat):
Usually it works round by round. DM describes situation, usually uploads a combat map so everyone cna visualise the situation, then each player posts the action for their PCs. In those portals/sites I mentioned above, players can send dice rolls together with their posts. If the place where you are playing at offers no such feature, it's likely that the DM will be making the dice rolls for your actions, and then he will post what happened in round 1, and round 2 begins.
Play by Post or Play by Email is usually slow. Some games are as slow as 1 post/week while others have more than 1 post/day. Make sure to pay attention to the Posting Rate of the game before joining it. A good average is 4 posts/week. That is 4 posts per player/DM a week, not 4 posts for the whole party.
If you like this kind of roleplaying, you will soon find yourself joining several games, because only one is a torture. It is so addictive you can't help waiting for the DM to post again.
Here are some final advices to become a great online roleplayer:
-Can't say this enough: write good quality posts. What can go in the post? Thoughts, actions and speech. The party cant read your character's mind, but sharing some thoughts is always cool. Try to avoid writing dialogue-only posts. Some DMs dont mind, but I know a lot of them that hate it, as I do. I mean, there is always something else to write. You dont just talk to someone. You whisper, becuase you dont want others to hear you. Or you are so drunk, your words carry the strong scent of cheap ale you've been having all night, and so and so. One-liners are a big NONO also.Always try writing at least one solid paragraph. Here is something a lot of players dont do: writing good quality COMBAT posts. I have seen many players that always write beautiful posts, but when a combat comes, they send me that technical "Jason moves 5 feet to the north and casts magic missile on soldier#3". You can see a whole combat happen with not a single PC shouting anything to the enemies, not a single battlecry, nothing. Write good quality combat posts as well, and your DM will love you.
-Be flexible with the roleplaying of your character, in favor of the game. I have seen many games come to a halt because one player would insist that there was only ONE way to roleplay his character in a situation, and here I am talking about PCs that create unecessary problems to the game, like engaging in long, boring and tiring discussions about matters that could be solved quickly. Example: I am playing in a high level game where everyone in the party is good aligned and I have a cleric of Pelor. I just found out one of the characters is an evil aligned thief who robbed the house of a family in a town we were visiting. Now, I could be an @$$ and say my character wouldnt want ot travel with that thief anymore. Or worse, I could be a bigger @$$ and say my character would try to kill him, because my character is an evil-slayer (which he is). How does that help the game? It doesnt. I instead roleplay my distrust for the thief (couldnt make him confess the crime yet, but i am positive he did it).
-Pay attention to the game: Online games are more descriptive and especially for DMs who create their own adventures, they want to see players joining the pieces of the puzzle as they move along. He will be feeding you an info here and there.... but in online roleplaying, my experience is that players pay LESS attention to details than in table top. Be clever, pay attention to the clues, try to understand what is going on, read those month-old posts again, and find out what the DM is trying to show you, and you will make him happy. For instance, I have a party in one of my games who had their possessions stole by a group of five leprechauns. The found the leprechauns lair, which is an oak tree. Thre is a knot hole ten feet up on the tree, with a hornets nest hanging on a branch near it. It took them two weeks to come up with something as simple as using a smokestick and climb the tree. That really annoyed me. Of course, I gave a big bonus XP to the palyer that took some action, because he helped moving the game along.
-Interact with others: I have seen lots of players playing almost individually, even though their characters are in a party with other PCs. Those players tend to send one post only in response to every DM post. Dont be afraid to post several times and interact with NPCs, PCs, and even the environment around you. Be pro-active instead of reactive. Reactive players are dragged along the game by the DM. Pro-active players push the game forward and enrich it, making it a better experience for everyone.
I have to go now. Hope that helps ya.
