No sarcasm meant. People here are very (sometimes over-, but genuinely) helpful. As I understand it, in most cases, you would look for a game and apply to it, then build your character with guidance from the DM. Every game can be different, though. This isn't like League play, where you have a sanctioned character that can be used interchangeably. You would want to build something to fit. If you apply for and are accepted into a game, that's when you should build your character. Since any given game can use a different character sheet than another, even if using the same system, trying to do the character first can lead to a lot of wasted time. That being said, every game is different. I'd look at the Looking For Group feature and see what any interesting game is asking for. To play, you need only be registered on the site. Once you have the specs from the GM, including the character sheet used, you can either build your character on your own by creating a dummy game that uses that sheet, or build it while logged into that game. If you go the first route, you can use the Character Vault in most cases to bring your character in. I believe one of you (player or GM) has to have at least a Plus membership for Vault usage. There is voice/video, but it is pretty sketchy at the moment. Many groups use an outside app like Skype or Discord. Some groups use voice only, others text only. Every group is different, but the LFG should give you some idea of what to expect.