I was discussing this with someone yesterday about our hopes for NOT having linear progression of Nodes. By this, I mean that I hope the Nodes will progress uniquely and carry their own region specific bonuses and characteristics that resemble the environment that progressing in that area might bring. Let me paint an example:
Say you have two Scientific Nodes on either side of the map. One of the Nodes, we will call Node A, is based in the deep Mountains where the Dwarven race is most prevalent. These are harsh and cold conditions, where inhabitants have dug deep into the rock to both
escape Winters bite, and to mine for rock and mineral to further harden their warriors and fortifications. On the other end, you have Node B, which is located in the thick forest lands inhabited by Wood Elves and certain Humans, who make use of the abundance of foliage, wildlife, and lumber to both support their survival, as well as to build trade routes.
These two types of Scientific Nodes should progress differently, in that Node A will receive more bonuses to Mining, Armorsmithing, Weaponsmithing and Metalworking, while Node B will get bonuses to Herbalism, Leatherworking, Bowyer, and other Woodworking skills, as these skills correlate more realistically within the progressing environment. I think this would set in stone the true uniqueness that Intrepid is going for with Nodes, causing traveling person's to consider perhaps where they
buy their goods. A Weapon Master searching for the highest quality of steel weapons and heavy armor will find significantly better goods at Node A than they would at Node B, and vice versa, a Ranger looking for tight-fitting Leathers and strong Bows will want to travel to the Forest to find the best quality.
This is just my two cents
