[Raellus]

I think resource acquisition and management is a pillar of T2k gameplay. In every campaign I've participated in or observed, getting a hold of ammo, fuel, medical supplies, and food was a major preoccupation of the player party. In many cases, availability of said resources dictates where the PCs go, who they interact with, and how they do so. Scarcity of needed resources is a major theme of the T2kU.

I haven't played many other game systems, but those that I do have some familiarity with don't compel players to be nearly as preoccupied with resource allocation and management as much as T2k does.

In D&D, for example, getting new stuff is part of the fun, and it does become important to upgrade armor, weapons, and spells as the adventurers gain levels and face off against ever deadlier monsters, but it's more of a built-in reward system than a realistic, essential economic component of gameplay like it is in T2k. Aside from magic items, scarcity of resources is rarely a concern in most D&D campaigns, and there's almost always a widely used currency system so acquiring necessary supplies is often simply a matter of going into a store and purchasing it.

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