The Forums were not even created until 2011, by which time the game had been available for about two years.
But yes, the Community has evolved, a lot, driven in part by the addition of stories by FBG and in part by changing approaches to play brought by the players. I think your idea for a newbie thread for speculation is great, and even if it doesn’t happen, I’d suggest not digging into the Forums too deeply until you have explored quite a bit on your own.
Good luck, and welcome!