I've just added a new extension that displays the most recent topics on the home page.
By default this block appears above the main index to the forum topics, but this can be changed on a per user basis, along with a few other options.
To make any changes click on the down arrow to the right of your ID in the top banner, and then select User Control Panel.
Then click on the Board preferences tab and then on Edit display options.
You can then set your preferences in the Display recent topics block. Click the Submit button when done to save any changes.
(Option settings are restricted for users who have not yet passed the Newly Registered threshold of 3 posts)