Resources are used for nearly all actions in the game.
When required, there will usually be visual cues for their input - small token-sized circles (or slots) for your Manpower, and rectangular outlines for your cards (Tools and Weapons, for example).
All elements of the game which require resourcing (from Buildings to Events to Expeditions and more) will have annotations explaining what is needed.
Any number of Creeds and players may submit Resources to a task, as long as there's capacity (that is, enough circular or rectangular outlines available).
Importantly, most tasks take time - some last an entire Term (operating Buildings) while others vary in time (Events and Expeditions). Resources must remain assigned to the task for the entirety of this time-frame - if they must be removed prematurely for some other emergency, the task at hand will usually fail.
What happens to the resources after investment in a task varies, though a general rule of thumb would tell you:
Of course there are exceptions to these rules - if you are ever unsure, a nearby Moderator will be able to clarify.
Resources in the game are not limited to only Cards which players collect - there are also universal pools of Resources referred to as Government Resources.
There are two types:
It’s important to note that these Rations and Processed Materials are not recorded in the game via physical components - rather, their use and production is noted by the Moderators.
A functional Government, of course, should also be keeping tracking of these pooled resources. The manner in which a Government does this is entirely up to the players, noting that faulty bookkeeping could easily lead to shortages.
Moderators keep definitive track of these pooled resources, though they will not reveal to players what the actual numbers are - they will only confirm, or deny, the use of resources from the respective pools.
Who knew governance was so important in the apocalypse?