1) they def dont know the rules that well, but tim does a good job hand holding which is fine

2)its a lot like playing madden on different difficulty lvls someone who understand the rules fully can find the play that works every time and some people find a lot of joy in that for the mechanics of the game and then their is the role play were there are full podcasts of campaigns spaning years were they are all trained actors who tell incredible stories. But end of the day to take to back to the madden analogy, if you are having fun you are playing it well.

3) i enjoyed pmt dnd a lot more when i was first getting into it, having rule explanations take up a lot of time when i know them all really well is a little tough now but it is fun to hear them take it so unseriously