^Those are very good points. I hadn’t considered new users not even seeing the Topics page. In that case, have you considered adding a page between the ‘register’ button and the sign-up form that gives some helpful info? Something as simple as this would be nice:

Welcome to our community! Before we get started, did you know:

If you’re completely new to the forums, the General Star Wars Discussion is a great place to start.

If you’re interested in a particular project, some of the most popular are available on public torrent sites, no registration required. Many smaller projects are hosted on Myspleen.org, and you can ask for an invite here after you’ve registered.

(‘Yes, I’ve got it!’ button)