Hi,
I was wondering if perhaps you might have thought of trying out the super functional version of phpbb known as Integramod? It's free and can do so much more than than just simple old phpbb can. It is based on phpbb but as far as features go, it's loaded with them. I personally use it for other "endeavors" and it just does an incredible job.
check it out if you want here is the link :
www.integramod.com