Hello all
First of all, greetings for Stardock for their great job on this FE, and all the community working to add ideas and finding bugs.
I'll focus on the tech tree. After a few games, I find the Warfare Tree very boring: research attack, research defense...and in the middle, the training technologies.
My idea is this: Split the attack technologies from the defense and from the training. Even more: split the different types of attack (pierce/blunt/etc), and make the requisites in metal/production according to its benefits.That makes the bows a chance to be used since the beggining. Now, I guess we all just choose the most damage/defense item, ignoring the rest.
And when the chance to research bows arrives, now we have better weapons, so...which is the interest in bows? Even for the Tarth...Many people I included, just use the "Cant use bows" to make a new raze to get a point to invest in other trait...I will not use bows, even if I wanted, because the tech is so far to research...
I think splitting warfare technologies gets a more variated game, and increases strategics, because it will depend on available resources to research for one kind or another. You have access to metal in the beggining? Then go for blunt axes or maces (more damage, more metal). Not too much metal: then spears...or bows.
This same would be applied to defense with two branches: heavy metal/light without metal... That makes a good strategy to decide in wich to use the metal...attack or defense, or maybe a combination...
The horses/wargs could have his own branch too, and give the chance to add new tech like "War horses/Wargs".
And finally, the training research, with buildings for more xp/level/training time/training cost/army size...that is the same than now, just relocated.
I can't remember now all techs, but this would be an example:
Starting Defense < Improved Light defense --- Better Light defense --- Best Light Defense This means no metal needed (or very very little)
/ \ Heavy defense --- Improved Heavy defense --- Better Heavy --- Best This mean more of metal needed
Barracks < Training --- ---- ---- ---- from here, all the rest technologies, may be the same... Idk, as my games usually finish before getting them
\ Livestocks (to get 0.5 horses/warg) < Horses -- War horses (more bonuses) if I find wargs first, why should I research horses?
\ Wargs -- War Wargs (id)
\ Bows --- Improved bows -- Better bows -- Best bows Here the bows...from the begining
\ Blunt research ... Axes /maces may require more metal, for more damage, bash...
\ Cutting research ... Daggers and swords: critics, initiative, counterstrike...
By the way, this could allow to introduce rewards like warfare technologies in some quests (like library quest). For example, if you find a Blunt +improved blunt reward, it can make you turn to research in blunt weapons instead of cutting. Or the results of trading war technologies with the firendly sovs. It opens so many possibilities for each game...
I find the magical tree some kind of the same... Why have I to research sorcery and all other previos tech to recruit higher heroes? What has magic to do in recruiting? Well, that is because I miss the World tree from WoM... but if you want to put them in Magic, why mixing it so much with magic? Splitting them from the begining....
The economic tree...as all the first researches are so important, I don't feel necessary to modify...for now. Warfare is most important.
Well, I know it may be too late for thinking in changing research trees now. I know that remaking skill trees can make unbalancing at this point, but the idea of splitting, could be easy to fit balancing after some testing. Anyway, I give the idea for the modders too 
Keep on the great job
Solosol
