Sometimes you write modules that require players to spend valuable resources. This can come in many forms, from requiring the PCs to pay some sort of ransom, to spending resources on complex rituals. In either case, you are dancing a very fine line between fun and tedium, and you need to make sure that you always fall on the side your players would prefer.
Here are some things you'll want to review before running any "Resource Sink" module.
Players Want to Win
Despite all our efforts to immerse players, ultimately winning and losing are determined by the treasure gained on a module. If you have a module where the players either break even or lose resources, they will consider the module a loss. One pointless, unnecessary module where the players lose can really break the morale for the rest of the event.
Realism
A lot of times, plot teams will justify their actions by saying it's more realistic or gritty for the game. The truth of the matter is that people come to the game to get away from reality. Players want to win, and if it makes them feel like they lost, then maybe you should make it more player friendly and less realistic.
Use Theoretical Resources
Rather than use resources that are set in stone (treasure, money, etc), use resources that are more theoretical in the game and have little to no effect. Instead of charging gold for ransom, make the players give the true name of an important figure in the game, or make them trade crops from commoners in the land. Players will use these resource sinks as a roleplaying tool, and will follow up with them to restore their reputation with these abstract concepts. All of a sudden, a loss for the PCs turns into a brand new storyline for them to pursue!
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No. Do not do this. Nobody cares about resources that have no effect other than as the macguffin to be spent on this thing. Everything that they give up must be potentially useful in some other manner. If it has no other in game application, it might as well be the orb of flange which the players need to go on a quest to capture, and after a while nobody is going to be fooled by the way it's being dressed up.
That food only works as a resource if it actually has an in game effect (such as feeding your troops or workers).
That true name is only worth something as an experience if the player might have some other way of benefiting by leveraging their knowledge of that name.
If your concern is that players will not find it enjoyable if they're not winning, there are two possible explanations; you have the wrong sort of players for the sort of game you want to run (i.e. try broadening your appeal, or trying to broaden your playerbase so that you get players interested in a more realistic* world), or your're not writing it well enough. Be under no illusions, making it fun for the players even through those points where they're losing, is difficult and takes some real skill. Or if you make it a game where players are working at odds with other players, it helps make it more fun even for those losing out.
*in so far as it's believable as a working world rather than you think it's like your own world.
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And despite the fact that it has no effect on real-game resources, many players come to LARP to, ironically enough, roleplay, and will definitely apply tangible resources to mitigate any loss to intangible sources. It also gives you a number of aspects that you can apply to further plot.
Once again, a well built storyline with hard choices does make an excellent game. However, forcing the players to drop coin or magic components without any other options is not a well built storyline. In the best story lines, the players offer to expend those resources to make their odds better - but make sure it's up to them to spend them!