The hardest thing to me about the game for new players is the learning curve. Once you get past that, it's no sweat. You can join a guild and hunt with them, or solo, or just gather a few people together and go hunt like that. As with just about any game, there are griefers, cheaters, and scammers however. I know UOForums has a guild in Lake Austin. It's centrally located in the US so lag shouldn't be an issue. Maybe they can help get you started and at least give you some info on playing.