chore: generalize multi-stage Process note; roster intro for chain shape

docs/game-design/skills.md

@@ -62,6 +62,8 @@ Final roster needs **stable IDs**, **XP sources**, and **gig/skill boundary** ch
 
 Layout mirrors **[gigs.md](gigs.md) gig roster**: one **table per category**, **Skill** name plus **what it covers** and **open / merge** notes.
 
+**Production chains (Gather → Process → Make):** Recipes can **branch** (same inputs, different outputs) and run **deep** (several **Process** steps in a row before **Make**). **Any** row in **Process**—not one named skill—may sit mid-pipeline, mixing **raw** gatherables with **earlier** intermediates from **Refine**, **Fab tech**, **Synth-chem prep**, **Bioprocess**, **Composite work**, etc. Detail in **Overlapping chains** and **Multi-stage processing** under the **Process** heading below (after **Gather**).
+
 #### Gather — pull raw value from the world
 
 | Skill | What it covers | Open / merge |
@@ -75,7 +77,7 @@ Layout mirrors **[gigs.md](gigs.md) gig roster**: one **table per category**, **
 
 **Overlapping chains:** **Process** and **Make** are not isolated trees. **Different** skills (or different recipes under one skill) can consume the **same** items and yield **different** intermediates or products—e.g. side streams where one batch of scrap or ore can route through **Refine**, **Synth-chem prep**, or **Bioprocess** with **different outputs** where content allows. Data-defined recipes carry the truth; overlap is **intentional** for a dense, interconnected economy. **Refine** vs **Synth-chem prep** stay **separate fantasies** (physical materials vs bio/chem)—see table.
 
-**Multi-stage processing (depth):** In addition to **branching** paths, expect **serial** depth—**several** **Process** steps before **Make**. A single finished good can depend on **Gather → Process → Process → Make** (or longer). For example, **Composite work** might take **raw** fibers or resin straight from **Gather** *and* **Refine** (or **Synth-chem prep**) outputs in the **same** recipe, so players see **intermediates feeding intermediates** rather than one hop from node to bench.
+**Multi-stage processing (depth):** Same idea as **Overlapping chains**, but **serial**: **several** **Process** steps before **Make**—e.g. **Gather → Process → Process → Make** (or longer). **Any** **Process** skill’s recipes can require **Gather**-fresh inputs **and** outputs from **prior** **Process** steps in one pass, or consume only intermediates from an earlier hop—**intermediates feeding intermediates**, not always a single hop from node to bench.
 
 | Skill | What it covers | Open / merge |
 |-------|----------------|--------------|
@@ -83,7 +85,7 @@ Layout mirrors **[gigs.md](gigs.md) gig roster**: one **table per category**, **
 | **Fab tech** | **Electronics and electromechanical fab:** **chips**, **PCBs**, **solenoids**, micro-actuators, substrate and assembly steps—**built components**, not **Refine**’s job of turning raw ore/glass/steel into graded **bulk** material. Uses **Refine** outputs (and other inputs) as **feed**, but the skill fantasy is **manufacture**, not smelt/purify. | Separate from **Refine** — **agreed** |
 | **Synth-chem prep** | **Bio- and chemistry** streams: precursors, reagents, stable compounds, polymer feeds—inputs and outputs are **chem / organic / lab** oriented; feeds **Synth-chem (product)** and related **Make**. **Not** primary home for ore/glass/metal refinement (**Refine**). | Separate from **Refine** — **agreed** |
 | **Bioprocess** | Ferment, culture, grow feedstock for medtech or consumables. | — |
-| **Composite work** | Laminate layers, weave fibers, prep armtech “blanks” before final assembly. | Often **multi-stage:** mixes **Gather** inputs with **Refine** / other **Process** outputs—see **Multi-stage processing** above |
+| **Composite work** | Laminate layers, weave fibers, prep armtech “blanks” before final assembly. | — |
 | **Data scrub** | Clean, normalize, or decrypt **datasets** that become a craft input. | **Tech** overlap—pick one **primary** category |
 
 #### Make — recipes, benches, finished goods
@@ -113,7 +115,7 @@ Layout mirrors **[gigs.md](gigs.md) gig roster**: one **table per category**, **
 
 **Cross-cutting notes**
 
-- **Production chain shape:** **Agreed**—(1) **Overlapping** paths: shared **inputs**, divergent **outputs** across **Process** / **Make**; (2) **Multi-stage** depth: **Gather → Process → Process → Make** (or longer), including recipes that combine **raw** gatherables with **refined** or other processed intermediates (e.g. **Composite work**). Recipe UX and balance **open** (paragraphs under **Process** in [Skill roster](#skill-roster-draft-ideas-by-category)).
+- **Production chain shape:** **Agreed**—(1) **Overlapping** paths: shared **inputs**, divergent **outputs** across **Process** / **Make**; (2) **Multi-stage** depth: **Gather → Process → Process → Make** (or longer), with **any** **Process** skill able to participate. Recipe UX and balance **open** (roster intro + **Process** subsection in [Skill roster](#skill-roster-draft-ideas-by-category)).
 - **Agreed Process boundaries:** **Salvage** vs **Quarry**; **Refine** vs **Synth-chem prep** (physical materials vs bio/chem); **Refine** vs **Fab tech** (base material grades vs chips/PCBs/solenoids and electromechanical fab). Further merge/split ideas — **open** as the roster evolves.
 - **Cut / defer:** **Food synth** if not a loop.
 - **Next pass:** pick **prototype trio** (one Gather, one Process/Make, one Tech) for Epic 2/3 slices—align with decomposition when ready.