[setishock]

Originally Posted by ForceHSS

guests cant see the forums would be nice to see them

I really don't like having to sign up for a forum to be able to see content. It's creepy for lack of better terms. If your goal is to keep out the spam bots, IMO you've taken that too far.
Remember search bots are guests also. How's your page rank?

When I'm walking through the mall I look in the windows to see what they have. I may not go in but that's a chance the shop keeper takes. But then there's that one item that grabs my attention and makes me think, "Damn, now that's neat." I go in and get a hands on with it and most likely buy it. But if the shop doesn't have any windows and just the name over the door, I'll keep on walking. There's no appeal to me to go in.
At least let guests see the forum and let them decide if they want to sign up.