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Can anyone explain the basic mechanics of D&D to me, please?
I keep searching but can't seem to find a site where anyone gives out any explanations, they all just assume we were born with all the basics learned.

Wow, that sounded easy enough! thanks!
Now, is there a plot in particular or will the Dungeon master take care of that as well?

Published? as in, D&D editorials or something like that?

hmmm... and that's when I started picking up odds and ends around the net... I see, now it makes more sense.
I'm starting to realize one could play D&D here on Gaia.
Maybe that's why we have the Dice throw action thingy, now that I think about it.

hmmm.... good guess. I guess it wouldn´t work too well on Towns either...
BTW, nice sig, very intergalactic. cool

Well, Smigg-the-Miserable did give a fairly good description of the base mechanics, however I'd like to throw in my own wording.

Dungeons and Dragons, and for just about all tabletop roleplaying systems for that matter, involve a DM, at least one player, and a system of randomization, usually dice.

The DM in a way plays the role of God. He controls world events, small events, he even controls the guy behind the counter at the weapons shop. The players control their characters. Unlike many other roleplaying environments, "autoing" is not cool. You don't decide if the phone rings; the DM does.

Now sometimes the results of what happens really aren't obvious. Like in combat, for example. If I were to punch you in the face, exactly what would happen is not entirely obvious. I might miss entirely, I might hit your jaw and break it. I might get your nose and cause a nose bleed. What defines the actual result is usually decided by a system of dice rolling, randomizing the result.

To build on what Macai wrote, there's nothing more true than the phrase above. Whatever calls the DM makes, goes. The DM is in charge of the quests your receive, the enemies your fight, the dungeons you traverse, EVERYTHING. If need be, a DM can even over-rule certain rolls if needed to advance the plot. In short: You'd be wise to stay on the DM's good side.

Most DMs create their own adventures, but many companies release pre-designed campaigns for DMs to use.

And Karrobher, if you plan on getting into D&D, you'll essentially NEED to buy your own mixed set of die (Which can be bought in a set composed of one 4-sided, one 6-sided, one 8-sided, two 10-sided, one 12-sided, and one 20-sided) as well as your own copy of the Player's Handbook. Most players have a copy, but you'll want your own because it sucks having to wait to borrow it from somebody.

If you do decide to get into the game, I hope you have fun and enjoy your adventures. And may your rolls be better than mine. Seriously, I'm a bad roller. Okay, D&D fans, you know how comics or whatever that make fun of table RPGs have at least one character who always rolls the opposite of what he needs? The guy who always rolls low on his own checks and rolls against him are always high? *Points at myself* Yeah, that'd be me. >>;

Once a character of mine was shoved into a room ahead of the rest of the party (And NOT the warrior, who should have gone first. -- Damn bard, shoving a cleric into a room before the meatshield) and I got attacked by two monsters, each one attacking me with two claw attacks and a bite attack.

One of the bites and two of the claws were criticals. My cleric went from almost full-health to one HP away from dying. And I was the only healer.