Gather

From LotJWiki

This skill is the most basic for an engineer. It symbolizes the basic process of finding raw materials and categorizes them into three groups: wood, stone and metal. These basic components can later be used to create better components, such as duraplast and durasteel.

To see if a planet has resources, use SHOWPLANET. You will see the wood, stone and metal amounts, which reflect the resources you'll be able to attain through gather. In order to gather you must be in an appropriately configured room, such as woodlands (wood) or rocky ground (stone).

Wood, Stone, Metal, Duraplast and Durasteel are used in the construction of buildings via the BUILDSTRUCTURE skill. Therefore gather is a cost-efficient solution to funding building ventures.