Looking for help making a message board/forum

I made an account just to ask this question. I'm 18 and have minimal programming experience, so please understand if I don't recognize certain terms.

I am part of an online text-based role-playing group and recently, the website we play on is getting changed in a way that may make it harder for us to role play. This will be the second time we've had to move out game (which is several years in the making and still going strong) and we hope it will be the last time.

We usually play on forums/message boards, but anything owned by someone else is likely to change and make things difficult for us. Our first website was completely redone by the owners, and we don't want to deal with that again.

I'm trying to make us a new website to rp on. Something we'll be in charge of, where we won't have to worry about an owner changing it. I'm a bit wary of going through a website that helps you make forums with their programs, because if they change something, it may change our forum too (as I understand it).

I've already made a basic HTML webpage, though I'm still working out the kinks and getting used to CSS. I'm really worried about the forum/message board though, as it's what we really need, and I can barely find anything on how to make one without going through another site or company.

I have downloaded Notepad++, and Visual Studio 2019 (though I'm still trying to figure out the latter). What is the best way to go about making a forum with these programs? Do I need to download something else? Do you know of any examples? Like I said, I'm not overly experienced and most of the programming terms go in one ear and out the other, but the site we're on will update soon and it's the only way we keep in touch, so I want to get this done as soon as possible, so we don't lose the role play or have to move to another site that will inevitably change.

Thanks!