I'm a little confused on some key points here:
1.) Do the posting rules only apply to this thread? For instance, if I pick my five and then want one not on my list in another thread, I could still use it, yes?
2.) If the posting rules apply throughout the entire forum, how do we tabulate usage?

3.) If emoticons can be exchanged freely at any time, nothing stops players from changing emoticons incessantly so that it's not clear which emoticons they have selected at any one time.
I think this could be refined into a really fun forum game with some additional rules.
1. You must use only the emoticons you have selected for posts in this thread. These must be signified in your first post in this thread.
Consider making it a rule that you must add your emoticons to your signature and that that list must always be updated.
2. You may use whatever emoticons you like while posting outside of this thread.
C H A N G I N G Y O U R L I S T
A player must declare the changes he is making to his list in a post in this thread.
1. If you would like to exchange any of the five emoticons you have claimed for other emoticons, you may do so once a week but you may not switch out any of your emoticons for an entire week thereafter.
2. A player may choose to retire an emoticon from their list at any time. Doing so means that the player is no longer allied or aligned with that emoticon so that that emoticon's standing is inconsequential to the player.
S C O R I N G
The emoticons in this thread will be counted at some preset time each week. (I propose Saturday.
)
So, the game is somewhat like an emoticon stock market: you try to ally yourself with the emoticon who is winning in the war or (from the other side of things) you are fighting in the war to help the emoticon win.
If the game is intended to be played across the entire forum, consider the following additional rules:
C A P T U R ING
1. You may quote any player's (or should this be "forumer's" in general?) post from another thread into the conversation in this thread provided it is pertinent. Doing so, you allow all of the emoticons in that post to be counted.Clearly, you could screw this up if you're after a

and they used one of those but three

's which obviously help your competitors more...
Also, maybe the score shouldn't be for all emoticons, but only for those people have claimed so far...
Ok, my emoticons are
