D&D Tabletop-Gaming Online?

[Realitycrash]

I'v frequently played open World of Darkness Digichats, but I have always wanted to get into a proper group of D&D as well. A problem is that while I love roleplaying and expressing myself vividly, I dislike having to do it IRL (and it embarrasses me to no end, as I am sort of shy in this regard), so I wondered: Do any of you know an online hub where you can get together with some decent people and play adventures online, on a chat-format? Afterall, it's the same thing as doing it IRL, except you don't have to be face-to-face.

 

[Scow2]

Maptools is a good program, but I'm not sure where you can find a group :/

 

[ThePenguinKnight]

I hear role-playing with strangers is disastrous on nearly every occasion. But I've always wanted to play D&D but nobody around here plays it.

 

[Berenzen]

I hear role-playing with strangers is disastrous on nearly every occasion. But I've always wanted to play D&D but nobody around here plays it.

Not true at all. Chances are that, unless you are really lucky, you won't have too many friends that are into PNP RPGs, maybe one or two. So typically you have to go out and find a group at a local gaming store. Do a couple short campaigns with them, and if you find that you like playing with them.

If you're looking to get into D&D though, I would recommend checking out the D&D encounters, they're low level (1-3) campaigns that are usually around 13 sessions long, and they're free as long as you have the requisite books (my local store says just use whatever you have, though technically you're only supposed to be using certain books, makes for some interestingly unbalanced campaigns). With luck, after a few sessions, you might be able to find some people you like playing with that are running a game, so it could be possible to join up and play with them.

Alternatively, you can always look to the internet and either find people nearby, or just play through skype.