Promo tiles status

[Death Meeple]

Hi everyone!

I have a question regarding promo tiles: not the Spiel ones, but all the other ones (the 4 Russian Tiles, la Porxada, and similar tiles issued during national Carcassonne meetings for example).

What is the status of these tiles? I understand some of those are semi-official, as stated on Wica (the Russian ones and La Porxada), but what about the others?

I've seen a few other tiles in the expansion part of the forum: Spanish ones, Hungarian ones... What is the status of these tiles? Are they also considered semi-official, or fan expansion?

If semi-official : where can I find a list of these? Will they be added to Wica in the expansion list as the Russian tiles and la Porxada?

If fan expansions : is there a reason the Russian tiles and la Porxada seem to have a particular status?

Thanks for helping me understand that point 

Linkback: https://www.carcassonnecentral.com/community/index.php?topic=6628.0

[Whaleyland]

The Russian tiles were produced by a licensed Carcassonne publisher (Hobby World), which is why they are usually considered official. La Porxada was also produced by a licensed Carcassonne publisher (Devir) but because it was only ever released as stickered tiles, it was never officially published and is therefore considered quasi-official.

All of the other expansions you mentioned are unofficial because they were created by organisations as prizes competitions, even though some of those competitions were approved and even supported by licensed publishers. The Darmstadt tiles would normally also fall into this category since they were produced by Darmstadt spielt, but in this one case, they were printed with the expressed approval of Hans im Glück and are therefore usually considered official tiles.

[Meepledrone]

The Russian tiles were official tiles by Hobby World, the Russian publisher. They were released for national events, and some of them even sold on their online store. Their quality is a bit blow par... They can be scratched very easily, and the initial print run had the front was printed on the wrong side of the tile. They are a rare find and super expensive compared with other tiles. Finding a set without white scrathes is even rarer.

La Poxada tile was actually a sticker on a C1 tile. No official release therefore, and it was a fan tile for an event. There is some kind of mystic aura around this tile because KJW signed some of them while visiting the event, but they are as unofficial as they can be.

Regarding the Cacassonne.cat, the Spanish Promos, the Hugarian Promos, the Cacassonne Central promos, etc., they are all unofficial tiles. Some of these tiles were printed on blank tiles but they are just fan-made expansions. I have some fan-made promo tiles signed by KJW and they are not semi-official or anything because of that.

Hope this hleps.

[Meepledrone]

Regarding La Porxada, source of many discussions, it became notorious as it was presented in an event and given to the players participating in the Carcassonne games. The rules are not very clear and they contain some ambiguities and contradictions. We had to consult the creator, Oriol Comas i Coma, to solve these issues for WICA.

https://wikicarpedia.com/car/La_Porxada_(1st_edition)

Note that Oriol was the organizer of the event, he never worked at Devir. It would have been grat if Devir could have produced the mini officially. But this was never the case.

[Willem]

La Porxada was also one of the first fan expansions to be more widely spread and given out (as stickers) at an event.
In recent years, fans got better at designing fan expansions, and much better at actually making them, such as printing services onto blank tiles.

And the international community has been growing lots. Last year at the world championships, almost all the participants and spectators went out for food and drinks at a nearby pub, and through BGA, whatsapp and many of the communities per country, people know eachother more and more.

This has made it also that fan expansions are produced and shared more. I've been lucky enough to be gifted the Spain expansions from the last few ears of nationals, as well as the 2023 Hungarian promo (thanks again @Leven !!)

All not "official", but great showings of the Carcassonne fan community!