[Lynne]

You can do what you want a few ways;
- Install some sort of mod that adds columns or something to the index.php page. Then put whatever you want into those columns
- Install some sort of portal system like vbadvanced
- Rename the main forums page to, say, forums.php (you also need to make this change in vboptions > Forum Home Options > Script Name for Forum Home Page). Then, create a new index.php page that has all the stuff you want on it.

If you are looking for mods, go to the forum for your version, then select Home Page mods from the drop-down and see what is out there.