I am still learning a lot myself. But can offer help and ideas.
Not sure on Having A topic counter. But you could have a Category that is set to Everyone See and have Staff set to see/create/reply
Topic or Topics could have Category Directory with Descriptions, Rules and required min Trust Level Required to access.
There is likely I am guessing a way to do this with a custom theme/theme component or a plugin but would require someone with more advanced knowledge than myself.
They do have a marketplace here depending on your budget someone might be able to create exactly what your looking for.