It sounds like the biggest issue with setting up our own site is that someone is going to have to bite the bullet and register some degree of personal info in order to reserve us a domain name. Is that correct?

Not just the domain, although that is certainly one factor. I don't know about getting servers set up, how hosting works ... all that technical stuff is beyond me. I have an extremely low-level understanding, but no functional knowledge of setting up a site and making it run.

the one who tried to bring trolls over there early.

Yep, nice, right? This was the weekend before we were supposed to soft launch for everyone here.

Did Carp, or anyone else there, address what happened at all?

No, although Snakes did jump into the post to play mediator a bit. The chat images NBF posted is the last conversation(s) we had after that.

Also, I just want to say

Thank you, I really appreciate you (and everyone else's) support!

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't kicking myself right now. It feels like the last 2 months have been wasted, and I blew our chance for something great by trusting the wrong people and now we're right back at square one.

We probably shouldn't even use the site, right? Like u/RippoffOfLove said, better to cut our losses early and before getting established there just to have to move again?