>>35805For me, I went with
>pirate the 5e core rulebooksIt's very easy to learn and most people play it.
>watch/listen to some actualplay videos/podcastsDimension 20's series was extremely useful because their GM actually explains rolls and rules on-camera.
>/tg/ Gamefinder threadsI just picked the GM/groups who were newbie-friendly and seemed nice enough. You quickly learn how to identify the really bad groups by how they talk.
>Roll20There's a gamefinder function and you can look at the stats of players before joining their game to see how experienced they are and whatnot
>Local gaming storesMine is excellent, but they can be very hit or miss. Most will have signup sheets or online groups for people running games/looking for games and you can meet them in person before joining, which gives you a much better idea of who they are before you commit.
I was very anxious about joining alone, but I decided to take the plunge and found a group of extremely good friends and my partner through tabletop rpg's. You might be objectified for being a woman, but most groups actually love having invested/motivated female players because it's a new facet to storytelling and problem-solving.
