Inexperienced player, no idea where to really start

Hi, I'm Rena, basically I've never really "sat down" and played a table top game. I love rpgs in video games, and D&D has always been intriguing, but a combination of lack of interest in others, moving from place to place, and just time getting away from me has prevented me from getting into it. I go on here and there are so many different types, I'm not sure where to even try to start. What games are good for starting points, what games are great but definitely for those in the know. Sorry for the rant. My schedule is pretty free, prefer later times, PST. Oh don't have a webcam, but can do voice if needed.

Hi Rena,    Welcome to a great hobby ! The beauty of Roll20 is, of course, that you can play from the comfort of your home with players from all over. I turned to this platform for the same reason; my gaming group was spread out and we had given up on playing until I stumbled across this.     To answer your question about where to begin, it really depends on you- RPGs cover many different genres. It sounds as if you're interested in fantasy, and D&D is an excellent choice for that. In order to streamline things when you do find a group, take some time to think about possible characters you might want to play. If you've read any fantasy novels, there will probably be characters that you identify with. Don't worry about playing a character to suit the needs of the party; you want to enjoy yourself.     I've played D&D for almost 30 years, across its many editions, as player and DM. I can definitely say that it's great when players know at least the basics of gameplay. First and foremost: know how your character works . Once you've decided what you want to be, familiarize yourself with that race and class. Then, learn how combat works. If you're playing a magic-user, learn how spells work. That's it ! A good DM will take care of the rest.     You can buy the Player's Handbook, or find it somewhere online I'm sure. Read as much of it as you want, but like I said, as long as you know the ins and outs of your character and how combat/ magic works, you'll be fine.     Finally, you may over time develop an affinity for a certain campaign setting, and you may want to look for a group running a game in that setting. A good "default" setting is Forgotten Realms. You can find lots of info online. Other settings each bring their own flavor- horror (Ravenloft/ Curse of Strahd), steampunk (Eberron), gritty urban (Ravnica), etc..    Good luck, and have fun ! 

D&D 5e is going to be your easiest game to get into.  It is the most popular, number wise, so you will have the highest chance of finding a game.  It can be intimidating to learn, but is pretty simple once you have a grasp of it.   That said, the number of people running games (DMs or GMs) are far outnumbered by the number of people who want to play.  This can make not only finding a game you can join, but one right for you a bit difficult.  This is why you will see some people charge $ for their games.   Starting points wise you will probably want to look for a one-shot game.  These typically last one or maybe 2 sessions.  It will give you a feel for how the game goes without making a long term commitment.  During the game get a feel if you have more fun on the Role playing aspect of getting into character or the tactical side of combat and rolling dice.  When you seek your next game you will find games advertise as being close to 50/50 between the two aspects or leaning more toward characterization or dungeon crawling.  That should help guide you to a game you will better enjoy.   As for other systems.  There are tons of systems out there that are great.  However, it is always a matter of personal tastes, commitment to learn them, and finding others that share a similar interest in playing it.  

Thank you for the replies, I'll try to find a one shot. Initially there seems to be a lot of continuations, is it normal to add new people to a group in the middle of an adventure? I'm more nervous on trying those, feels like you could step on someone's toes or established lore, etc, really easy.

Games will go on for years.  People's lives and schedules change or sometimes players just drop out without warning.  The rest of the group usually want to keep playing, so they will recruit new players to join.   A good group will help settle a new player in so toes aren't stepped on.  :)

Try not to worry about that too much. As Juniper said, if you look for games that specifically welcome new players, they will accommodate you. You want to play with cool people anyway; not people who are susceptible to "having their toes stepped on".  As a DM, it's easy to add people; party frees a prisoner from someplace, you jump in to help them with something and join the party, etc... not a big deal. 

I've been thinking about DMing a three adventure DnD5E trilogy using Roll20. I don't care that you are inexperienced or new to tabletop roleplaying games--only that you are committed to finishing all three adventures if you join. I've GMed a lot in real life but not on Roll20. I've only played a little bit on Roll20. So I don't know about the fancy features here, but that's okay because I play 'theater of the mind' style anyway. I'm on Central time--so 2 hours ahead of you. Are your Sunday later afternoon/early evenings free? I was thinking about running it on Sundays starting at  6pm or 7pm Central maybe (which would be 4pm or 5pm your time). Is that something you would be interested in?

Sure, that sounds good to me, I would love to sign up for that. Don't worry I'll finish what I start, but yeah I'll just need help starting up

I'm leaving for work right now, but I'll see what I can get set up after I get back. You don't have to have the player's book, but you should Google search the Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition SRD (system reference document). It has the rules for character creation and game play on it and is free.