Want to get into D&D but idk where/how to start

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With COVID-19, my intention is to find a community for beginners that plays D&D virtually. But I can't just go to one and jump into a game without knowing what to do. So, my question is: what information, rules, materials, etc., do I need to have in order to be prepared? Also, where could I find such beginner communities?

Link:  So You Want to Play D&D? 

Awesome, that's perfect, thanks.

I started playing AD&D (TSR - 2nd Ed.) in the early 1980s, and I ran my own AD&D campaign with the same core players for 7 years.  I also played Traveller (GDW) and Star Wars (WEG) quite often BC19 (Before Covid-19).  I recommend obtaining the following items:

• Polyhedral/Pythagorean Dice, at least two of each type
• A drawstring bag, in which to keep the dice
• A Players' Handbook
• A pad of graph paper (for mapping dungeons).
• Colored pencils
• A sturdy Styrofoam cup

That last one needs explanation.  One of the most irritating things about playing with dice is that they tend to skitter and bounce all over the place when rolled as "craps" dice.  The other players will appreciate it when you place your dice in a cup, give it a good shake, swiftly invert the cup on a flat surface, lift the cup, and count the dice.  This speeds up game-play and you will not have to look for your dice on the floor, under the furniture, or in someone else's lap.

Oh, and always bring munchies for the DM.

Thanks! This inspires me

I know I'm a bit late to the party, but WotC released a ton of free goodies last year, and some of them are still free:
https://dnd.wizards.com/remote/archive

April 7 has the Starter book, it's not super useful, but I guess it might help introduce one to the basics of the game. No character generation, just pre-gen sheets.
https://media.wizards.com/2020/dnd/down ... lebook.pdf
https://media.wizards.com/2020/dnd/down ... acters.pdf

April 28 has the Essentials book, which is a lot more useful.
https://media.wizards.com/2020/dnd/down ... lebook.pdf

And if you really want to dig deeper, the Basic rules have always been available (for free) in many different formats.
https://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/basicrules
http://media.wizards.com/2018/dnd/downl ... s_2018.pdf
https://dnd.wizards.com/charactersheets

With virtual games, it's going to depend on the DM. Some might allow actual dice rolling, and some might only allow digital dice (especially if it's something like Fantasy Grounds or Roll20, where the rolls are built into the program).