I run an online game using google hangouts for chat and a virtual map, when needed, for combat. Works out the same as in person for my group.
I also run a WoD campaign that is exclusivley over vid chat, no map at all. Again, just like it would be at a table.
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I run a number of games both online and offline and it's absolutely possible. Play by post games are almost built on that concept. I will say outright that visual aides are nice, just as props are with in person games. They're just easier to do online so most people use them; however, this does not make them a requirement.
As far as any advice on the subject goes, describing it online is going to be very similar to describing it in person with the obvious exception of body language, so you lose out on the ability to gesture.
There's a site called The Alexandrian that does a great job on going over Game Mastering tips and trick, and while that site is my personal favorite, there are many other great table top resources like that.
Another good thing to look into is the style of presentation for the narration of audio books, or the narrator's role in radio plays.
As far as using hand drawn maps, as long as you're clear on your markings of walls, doors, etc. anything should work fine, even just basic line drawings.
I run a campaign on maptools & skype. I narrate on skype like I would at a regular table, and maptools gets used for tokens. works very well
RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32
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Because i can't drive i have to play Pathfinder or any DnD games online. And all i see GM's using is Maps and tokens which i geuss is okay but it seems they rely on that instead of doing a good description. I'm wondering as a newer GM is it possible to do it like you would do it at home. Meaning describing whats going on and only drawing out the areas that have combat instead of having a map on the virtual table top all the time. And i was wondering if anyone had any suggestion on running a game like that. Thanks for the help.
Do you mean Play-by-Post games, or real-time chat-style gaming sessions?
For PbP, I've done fine with going completely mapless. Though this is partly assisted by playing 5E instead of Pathfinder (since that system is a lot less fiddly about movement and positioning), it's also made possible by being willing to keep descriptions concise and focused.
For instance, you don't need to explain exactly where each of the five chairs is located, how many barrels are lining the back wall and exactly where they are, or what the exact dimensions of the table are. If you did, that would be an information overload that would lead to mistakes and misunderstandings, while simultaneously making players feel like they have to mirror that level of precision in their posts.
However, instead you could just say something like, "The room is 25ft wide and 30ft deep. The back wall is lined with several barrels, and in the center of the room is a round table surrounded by five chairs." That's concise enough that players can absorb it and get to the action without "dropping" anything. Think of all the time you'll have saved describing exact positioning when nobody ends up interacting with the barrels or chairs anyway!
Of course, this means you have to make some concessions if someone does try to (meaningfully) interact with the somewhat abstract environment. How do you respond when a player does something you don't expect, like flipping the table on its side for cover, or shoving a chair across the floor at an opponent's shins? If you respond to these ideas in a way that demands compliance to strict positioning rules, then players will ask for the necessary data and you're right back to the information overload (only slower). But if instead you're willing to let the unspecified objects be wherever they need to be for the purposes of the players' cool ideas, then precise data is not needed.
I've found that this works pretty well in PbP, but I couldn't vouch for it in a real-time chat-based session.