So you wanna roleplay? The beginnings.

Here. Grab a slice of cake and a cup of something to drink and I'll tell you what you should know about your first adventure.

Tea Party the wonderful *AngelNess at DeviantArt.com

So, you have made you character. You have found a group, and you have gotten a hold of the basics. Now you are ready to begin the first adventure. Your GM will most often give you a basic start. Most of the time my characters have found them selves at a packed in, finding one of only a couple of seats left, next to some more or less dubious characters. These more or less dubious characters are often the other PCs and you will end up in some way together, dealing with some quest or other. This is a GM's "go-to" start and you should either come to peace with it or suggest to your GM that he/she give a more detailed start. Just remember to do it politely and respectfully, and preferably before the first session commences. The GM do after all have the power over the life or death of your character (and it is no fun if you piss of the GM... believe me!)

Before you get together with the group you should be certain that you have a few notes scribbled down about your character's personality and look.
This is an important thing to do so you wont get all flustered and stuck when the GM asks you to describe your character to the rest of the group. When you do this, don't go on and on about how tough and awesome she or he looks. The truth is that your character looks like the average soldier at lvl 1. When asked to describe your character stick to the physical description and, if the situation alows it, give a short byline describing your character's special traits in a way that isn't obvious.

Example you ask? Well, sure! Take my character Chi Pin Rae Sparklefoot. She's a lvl 3 Gnome Artificer. Her stats are: STR: 11, DEX: 13, CON: 13, INT: 14, WIS: 6, CHA: 16 and Appearance: 16 (this is an extra score the GM gave us based on rules set in Book of Erotic Fantasy. A book that deals with sexuality, pregnancy and STDs in the D&D world). She's got blue eyes, blond hair, wears a studded leather armor, carrries around a tiny homonculus (a small construct that looks like a person). The description I would give of her (or my GM if I had given him the details beforehand) is:

In the door walks a young gnome woman with blond hair that fall down on her shoulders. It looks like she has tried to tie her hair up with a string, but it has loosened and now only hold a little piece of hair towards the back of her head. She's very beautiful. She wears a leather armor with studs and carries a dagger at her waist. In her hands she holds a small humanoid and she is in a rapt discussion with "it". So intent on her discussion that she walks straight into the door sill, bangs her head and almost falls on her backside before she shows a feet of extraordinary balance and saves not only her derriere, but her figurine as well. She then sidesteps the door sill and proceeds to walk directly into a table full of burly old men, smiles and says a few words that seem to calm them, and walk over to arrange herself on a bar stool. If you look closer you can see that she has a bag full of items, one poking up that looks like the handle of a morning star, and has startling blue eyes.

So there you have it. Giving away only the information you would gleen from looking at a person, and not giving away numbers and stats. This is why you should make some notes beforehand, so you can give a good description when it is needed. It will be much more appreciated by your fellow gamers and absolutely appreciated by the GM. It might also earn you a couple of XP more. And you know what they say; every little bit help.

The party has gotten together, and the quest is on. Now what? Now you do your part. If you are the only person in the group that can cast healing magic, don't rush into the fray, head first, sword flailing. It will only serve to get you, and everyone else probably, killed. Try to find a good position and stick to it. The same go for the magic caster, the heavy hitting fighter or the supporter classes. If you are the one in heavy armor, you should take it upon yourself to protect the weaker ones. And if you are a rogue... please, please, please don't be selfish and crude. It would not work in a proper fight, so it should not work here. A group will not keep you with them if you don't pull your part, or steal from them, or sneak away to do unsavory things in the middle of the night - or GM forbid - kill one of your party members just to serve personal goals. Even if you can justify it to yourself or the party with grounds in your character's alignment or personality. If you act like a jerk you will most likely ruin the night for the rest of the group, and won't get invited back many more times. Believe me, from experience I can tell you that a to have a character in the group that steals from the group, or acts like a douche, you will not not want to roleplay with that person for long.

Remember that you are in a group (even when you are solo-playing) and that it is important that everyone have fun. That includes your GM.