I think I have the kinks worked out of the notifications system now. You can have an email sent to you on any new forum post, or just in response to a particular thread. You can also have notifications sent from other sections of the site (Guide page updates, new additions to the calendar, etc.) Just open the Notification options at the bottom of any page, and choose the type of notification you want. If your notification method is disabled, click on the "change" link or on the Edit Account button in the left bar and set your notification method to email.

Let me know if anyone has problems, questions, or suggestions for this or any other feature!