Resources

What resources represent

Money, energy, inventory, experience points and tokens can all be resources in a Machinations model. A resource is something you can count as it enters, moves through or leaves a system.

The same visual language works across different contexts. In the Willy Wonka example, resources include chocolate bars, golden tickets and money left to spend. In another model they could represent a budget, a supply of electricity or units of a digital token.

A resource can be tangible, such as money, buildings, tokens or people, or intangible, such as health points, engagement or time. If you can measure it with a number, it can be a resource. What counts depends on the question your model answers: the same model can track bars bought in one place and money spent in another.

Represent resources in a diagram

Resources move between components according to the rules you define. Their meaning comes from the system and the labels in your diagram, so name them clearly before you compare outcomes. Create and colour your resource types in the Resources panel on the toolbar.