One of the great things about this site is that the prevailing attitude is very welcoming of newcomers. Lots of people ask for advice in General and get straightforward answers without judgment. There's a thread where people can just go and vent their spleen, and move on. In most games, the GM is more than happy to explain
how to play for those unfamiliar with the system of choice -- and there are also games using homebrew rules that necessitate tutorials, along with games that just don't bother with mechanics.
Plus, there are so many active games looking for new players! If you find a game that interests you, but you lose interest -- or don't get along with the GM, or have trouble with a player, or can't figure out the rules, or whatever -- you can simply notify the GM, drop out, and find another game. I've been an RPoLer for over a decade, and
not once has the Players Wanted board not had at least a dozen games actively recruiting.
If you look at the site info (Help -> View RPoL Information), there are currently:
- 104,545 registered users, 2040 of whom have logged in within the past week
- 1,670 active games, 441 of which are looking for players
- 92,394 characters
I challenge you to find another RP-dedicated site with this much activity.