MerricB over at ENWorld has been writing an introduction to the Forgotten Realms for new players on his personal gaming blog.
The first entry in the series can be found here.
Merric's thread on the ENWorld forums discussing his project can be found here.
I recommend this series for new DMs and players, as the blog entries focus on the Realms in 5E while giving readers a sense of the history of the setting--both in-world and from a publishing/product standpoint.
If you find the blog entries useful, please take a moment to let Merric know on his blog or at EN World.
Take a look. [
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