Ladders work as most ladders do, either by seed, or by points.
Economy leagues work very much like a real-world economy. Resources can be spent to improve your overall economy, or purchase vehicles and armies to wage war on your enemies. When it was created, there were about 4 other planetary leagues operational. The admins were biased, the method of tracking the economy was more than cludgy, and, like many other leagues at the time, the economy just wasn't thought out very well. To say that TFS had a rough time getting started would be an understatement.