Skill Tree for Board Games

Twilight Imperium has a pretty complex tech tree.

Here's a easy to understand version of it: https://www.reddit.com/r/twilightimperium/comments/58xc49/clean_simple_t...

When it comes to Skill Trees, it's typical to have different segments of a skill tree are open only after a certain number of other skills have become unlocked. One thing I find interesting is the idea that if you go down a certain path, then others become blocked. For example, if it was a martial arts-themed game, maybe players can learn only the Way of the Tiger, which means the Way of the Turtle is no longer available (or is, at best, sub-optimal). The player must maximize their investment in the specific path they've chosen to succeed. See the video game Punch Club for this example in effect.

Additionally, building obsolescence into a tech tree is a great feature. In other words, as more technologies or skills become available later in the game, it makes earlier skills useless or less-effective than they had been in the past. If players don't keep up with research, then they're left behind and/or find themselves at a significant disadvantage when competing with players who have kept up on the cutting edge of tech. A recent board game that does this is Eclipse.

Finally, my favourite wrinkle in a tech tree I've seen is the plateau. The old Eagle-Griffon game War! Age of Imperialism is one I'll never forget, simply because of its tech tree. There were a couple places on the tech tree labeled "Inflation" which would increase the cost of everything for everyone, all at the same time. There was Inflation 1, Inflation 2, and so on.

Why would someone choose to invest in Inflation? Because later levels of the tech tree were not available until you did. Investment in Inflation on the tech tree signaled a player who was far enough ahead of the production curve that Inflation wouldn't be as bad a hit as it would to other players. Choosing when to go for Inflation 1 or Inflation 2 was an excellent, grueling decision point that tested the long-term strategy of the player. I love it, love it, love it, and it's the only thing about that game I will likely ever remember. :)

I wonder if you could have the players create the skill tree? I mean, in video games and most other games I have seen, the tree is pre-defined. Maybe the tree could be made up of cards connected by sticks or something, and the players can choose the order of the cards. Honestly, not sure how this would work. Could result in some silly tech trees...