New Egghead That Has Questions...

First up-welcome aboard and enjoy the journey.  I will offer some opinions on your questions.
Lump charcoal discussions here are hotter than politics and religion.  That said, Royal Oak and BGE charcoal are sourced from the same supplier.  I would save $$ and go with RO if that is what is available locally.  You can expand your horizons with Firecraft.com and their free shipping for >$99 orders.
Regarding charcoal load-within reason you cannot load too much lump.  The size of the fire is driven by the air-flow not the quantity of fuel.   If you need extra distance between the grid and lump you may limit the quantity but in general, load its up and go.  The XL provides more flexibility with lump load/usage.
Wait til the smoke emanating from the BGE smells good than add the protein and start the cook.  And the concern about letting the fire get hot-all driven by air-flow.  The lower the cooking temp the longer for the VOC's (bad smoke) to burn off.
No need for a fan or controller provided you have a stable set-up when you walk away.  Stable means no vent movements for at least 45 minutes for me.
Accessories - the ceramic grill store is a great one but I would go easy on the initial after-market buys.  Get familiar with the BGE and how you use it before buying too much stuff.
You need a way to cook indirect (heat deflector),good instant read thermo, a way to monitor low&slow cooks from outside the BGE and some heavy duty gloves.  
That's more than enough from me.  FWIW-

Although everyone has their favorite charcoal, what is most important is that you find a brand that you have consistent access to, and get used to the way it performs.

I load that sucker up every time. See the previous answer. Fresh on top of half burned is not a good idea for low and slow cooks, though. It's okay for steaks, burgers, chicken, etc.

Let it it burn until the heavy smoke is gone, just like you are doing. A charcoal fire should still be a clean fire.

Fans and controllers are nice for convenience, but not a necessity. I only started using mine consistently this year, and that only for cooks that I anticipate would go beyond 6 hours or that would last overnight. The BGE will hold temps well enough so that you can go to the store and get groceries. 

I get get accessories just about anywhere: Amazon and The Ceramic Grill Store are two I can come up with off the top of my head. Lousubcap's advice is strong, though: I spent the first three years learning direct, platesetter legs up, and platesetter legs down, before taking on different accessories. But the XL might be different from the L. One I do like is the simple WOO ring, which allows me to easily add and remove the platesetter. 

Oh: platesetter is what they used to call the convEGGtor. Sorry for using dated terminology.

I've never had a problem with uncooked food due to not rotating (I'm lazy, I don't rotate).  An instead read thermometer is your friend for whatever you are cooking.

If I anticipate unwanted drippings from one meat to another, I just deflect with loose foil.

And the "rig" (the AR) is an awesome piece of kit.

A new thread is the "New Discussion" button in the upper right.

Welcome!

DBarton02 said:

Greetings Everyone!  
!

• Does the brand of lump charcoal matter?  I currently am using Royal Oak.  I've read the BGE brand burns better/hotter.  Should I be using this instead? 
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This question alone will take up some space here. Welcome....a fair question....just lots of opinions.

Thank You All!

Yes Jethro, I think I am going to build me an Upper Deck!