[obit]

There's not really a one-size-fits-all solution. From years of forum admin/mod experience, I personally believe that the forum should grow with the community.

For example, a very new forum or one supporting a very small community, should have at most, three topics. Each should have a sticky readme pinned to the top, explaining the basic rules and guidelines.

Introduce yourself
General (on-topic) discussion
Off-Topic discussion

If any topic reaches the point where the first page is regularly filled with new topics every day, it may be time to create a subforum or start breaking down into categories as needed. Often, the community will simply ask for a second or third category.

Perhaps the general discussion area is being flooded with guild advertisements, EQ wtb/fs adds, frequently asked newbie questions, screenshots... whatever. Add on demand, not in anticipation. Otherwise, you may find yourself frustrated or dissappointed down the road.

Finally, a forum with loads of topics but very little or very old content in most of them, looks dead. Even if there's a couple with heavy traffic, it's simply off-putting to potential new members. I also believe that there is nothing wrong with downsizing and merging topics if the community begins to whither away. Doing so can save a sinking ship, and keep the forum looking fresh.

my .02
-obit

(side note: By default, threads, but maybe not posts, should always sort by newest first unless the individual forum member chooses to view it another way- hint hint...)