Hi Trogdor, and welcome to LPF.
For your first question, head to
http://www.enworld.org/forum/showth...quot-stickie-to-show-you-where-to-get-started and read up on how to create a character. It takes a bit of getting used to, so don't worry if it seems a little weird at first. Where our local rules different from stock Pathfinder will be documented, and you can always ask if you have specific questions. I also encourage reading a bit on the game world itself, as set in Venza, but it's not required. Other optional reading includes checking out the active games in Playing the Game, particularly low levels ones.
What makes us different from standard Pathfinder:
(1) Game World - Although Venza is less detailed (we're not paid to write like the pros) than the stock Pathfinder game world, it's really more coherent.
(2) Approved Sources - We don't allow all of the current sources for Pathfinder, only that which has been approved for play by the judges.
What makes us different from standard one shot Play by Post:
(1) Community - There is an active core group that has gotten to know each other, in a rough sense. It's pretty open to newcomers.
(2) Continuity - The various games are (loosely) netted into a larger picture. What happens in today's games can effect the future. And your character is carried from game to game instead of generating a new one for each game.
(3) Closure - In the event of games falling through due to an absent DM, we have judges who decide whether to continue the game themselves or close them out and release the participants to the game world.
Feel free to read up and ask questions. We'll do our best to help.
