First, the FAQ for the site covers posting and all that jazz. It's quite good, and well worth reading. You'll note it mentions avatars and ranks and smilies. I've cut these out - they're unneeded flashy effects that do little more than distract from discussion.

Ok. I don't even all the new features in the new version of these forums. If you want to check out the support forums for the software, you can at http://phpbb.sourceforge.net/phpBB2/.

Things I have noticed:

- The new private messaging functions. You can now add a subject line. You can save messages in a special savebox (there is a limit of 100 messages in the savebox and 100 in the inbox. These can be increased if necessary.) You can look up users' names with the new user search feature, as well.

- Email. You can now e-mail users from the site via a web interface. This is great for those of us that read the Forge from work.

- Polls. To tell the truth, I'm not excited about this feature, but it's part of the new version. Don't abuse it with "How did you like FOTR?" polls. If you can think of a good reason to use it, though - go right ahead.

- Username changes. You can now change your username. Of course, I've turned this off, but if anyone hates their username, let me know, and I can change it for you.

- Real private forums. Before, anyone could read private forums, just not post to them. Now, we have real private forums that only authorized users can see. So, if you have a game you want to playtest, and want a forum to discuss the playtest with others - let me know. Hell, if you have a really active game group, and want a private forum to discuss your game in, let me know.

- Splitting topics (and real moderation). You know how sometimes a topic spirals out of control and ends up being a completely new topic? We can now split a topic into its component parts. Very, very cool. Not only can Ron and I do it, but so can moderators - all of you that have a forum have this power. Go for it if you like.

When I figure out more, I'll post it.