one paper is ok
tighter is better but not to tight that you cant take a pull. but the tighter the slower it burns.
the card board or roach as it is usually called is not nessasary but it is nice cause you can smoke it till it hits that so you use all the weed.
the dope fell out of the joint cause it wasent tight.
and i would say that you should try it out with the tobaccy once to see if you like it if you dont then you dont do it again right so one shot at it is not going to hurt you... ok technicly it kind of dose cause it is tobacco but that is not the point here.