I haven't seen that game around at all before, probably due to lack of advertising. It's not small and it's been around a while, which leads me to believe either they just don't advertise much or tend to use word of mouth.
My suggestion is, contact the mods. Express how the lack of advertising made you wonder about the game. Ask if it's is wide open to newbies or if it's word of mouth acceptances only. You do at least have a friend who passed it along to you, but talking to the mods first might give you a sense of how the game flows and is structured. Ask whatever questions you need to; the mods should be happy you're showing interest. For a player's POV definitely talk to your friend as well.