Do fancy themes attract you to a site?

[ZandraJoi]

Since I'm not good at themes, I have to use from our Proboards Library. I'm honestly not good at the bells & whistles. I'm an introvert who prefers writing over talking so incorporate that into my forum. There's also something to be said about being overly done. To me, if a forum is too busy looking (not the activity, but popups, colors), I feel they are trying to overcompensate for something else. I tend to avoid forums where the themes are "loud".  

[Kyng]

Well, they're certainly nice to have. But I don't mind if a theme is plain: as long as it gets the job done (i.e. it's not too hard on the eyes, and everything is clear and easy to read), I won't be put off by it.

[Uncrowned Guard]

I agree with both of you and I enjoy that nice and clean looking, but don't like a busy view.  Obviously you can get a solid grasp of my preferred design by looking at the theme here. 😄