Err... Doesn't it boil down to RP vs game mechanics?
I mean a server that would pride itself in RP would make everything more open to everyone so that they can pick and choose whatever they want freely without material bound but within the bounds of their RP. Binding players by game mechanics, though easier to maintain, forces players to do things they would rather not do compared to other activities- and thus find an alternative that could potentially ruin the rp atmosphere (like power trading).
I guess there has to be a mix of this, since only a masochist would grind trade routes of their own volition when they don't have to be (like if the alternative was to fly around in a capital ship and setting worlds ablaze).
But then if the game has an actual economy, that forces players to grind trading in order to get fun stuff and thus do something they don't want to in order to do what they do want to do.
