We just played on IRC and it was really cool. I'm psyched! You just can't go wrong with music magic, biomechanical fish, and Kraken combat! You can catch the details at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/indie-netgaming/ if you're interested.

The only drawback seems to be that it was slow...but several of us were newbies.

Chris

Yep, most people learn in play, and the result is always the same - a slow game. All I can say is that as proficiency increases, play speed does too, in dramatic fashion. Especially in IRC, an environment which amplifies the problems with learning in play.

Despite all that, I still think that learning by playing is the only way to go. Read your rules, sure. But don't expect to get the hang of it until you've played a session. Then check the rules to clarify problems in understanding, and the second and later sessions fly. In the late Kroolian Jungle games, we created gobs of text in short sessions.

Mike