Mega Carcassonne: Double your pleasure and Meeples?

[Meles]

I now largely have my Mega setup, but I never thought about the number of meeples:
1. Do you double all the meeples from the first two expansions and the base game if you're running two sets? Would one possibly tweek the count removing a few or even running with just one set of meeples, but double the tiles?
2. Hills and Sheep, Abbey&Mayor along with Big Top also would be easy expansions to double, so just straight up double the meeples?
3. Messenger and Robbers have only come in big boxes for sometime now, so would you straight up double for these?

Traditional mega is just one of every expansion with maybe two base sets. Some advocate especially for doing a mega game where the first two expansions are doubled as well. Are they any other expansions that one would strongly recommend doubling for around a 400 tile game or more.

Linkback: https://www.carcassonnecentral.com/community/index.php?topic=6460.0

[corinthiens13]

I have never doubled the meeples, even for 600+ tile games. In my opinion, doubling the meeples breaks the game mechanics in which you have to carefully use your meeples. It's only if using Markets of Leipzig and/or barber surgeons expansions that I added two normal meeples.

[SailingMeeple]

The few times I've played a mega version of Carcassonne, we didn't double the meeples. Just the last time we added two extra meeples per colour. But mostly I don't think it's necessary, because with the main expansions, you already receive extra meeples, e.g., the wagon, the mayor, the phantom, the circus director... These are basically extra meeples already.
And like corinthiens13 said, part of the game is keeping an eye on how many meeples you have left and making a guess as to whether or not you're going to put that last meeple on an unfinished project or not. 

Although I must admit: we hardly ever play with farmers so there's less of a possibility of leaving a meeple stuck for the entire game, and we play with just one set of each, so no doubles, not even of the base game. I think if you do play with farmers, two extra meeples per person is probably sufficient, although again, I can't speak from experience there.

As for 3. Not sure about the Messenger, because I haven't played that one, but I don't think it makes sense to double Robber-meeples, since they're only used on the scoreboard and I think it would take away some of the fun of trying to guess who you're going to 'rob' if you add a second robber... (especially if you play with just three people, like we usually do. )

Hope that helps, even if it's from a novice forum member. 

[Meles]

I have never doubled the meeples, even for 600+ tile games. In my opinion, doubling the meeples breaks the game mechanics in which you have to carefully use your meeples. It's only if using Markets of Leipzig and/or barber surgeons expansions that I added two normal meeples.

Well this is music to my ears and it does make sense. I was just going through an exercise on how to round out my meeple colors with proper stain varnished pieces, as in not painted (conclusion since I own Mists is to wait for Cundco to eventually come out with 24 meeple sets.) I have Big Box 5 as kind of my anchor which has eight colors (+ pink, purple, grey) and would love to take that up to where I can field eight sets of original stained pieces, but with Mists it is just time to wait and paint some if I wish. In going through this exercise it hit me that perhaps for Mega I meet need both sets of meeples, not just the tiles.

[Meles]

Although I must admit: we hardly ever play with farmers so there's less of a possibility of leaving a meeple stuck for the entire game, and we play with just one set of each, so no doubles, not even of the base game. I think if you do play with farmers, two extra meeples per person is probably sufficient, although again, I can't speak from experience there.

As for 3. Not sure about the Messenger, because I haven't played that one, but I don't think it makes sense to double Robber-meeples, since they're only used on the scoreboard and I think it would take away some of the fun of trying to guess who you're going to 'rob' if you add a second robber... (especially if you play with just three people, like we usually do. )

Hope that helps, even if it's from a novice forum member. 

I'm more like a Carcassonne polywog and I've not yet played Robbers so that is a good tidbit to know. I have played farmers once (my last game) and I'm just beginning to wrap my head around it. It was a solo game where I was playing "Black Decar" and had even lapped him on the score track, but then the tussle for a massive farm began (~15 city one so 45 points on offer.) Literally on the last draw black Decar drew a dragon tile and the dragon immediately ate my farmer on a Hill (counts as two). I'd thought I countered it enough by having the Dragon do in one of his farmers, but that last tile linked another farmer into the field and so even the tie was lost and Black Decar's comeback was complete (also nabbed a double monastary with three vineyards about six turns before the end of the game to boot. )

I do want to do a two player Mega solo game soon, but my sunken area is only 37 inches deep and after a number of plays I want to use my makeshift topper that gets me to 42 inches of depth and seven feet long. It is a rough surface (corrugated cardboard), so I'm going to explore building a large neoprene mat for it. (Made from thematically questionable smaller neoprene playmats blown out from miniature market at $1 each.) I may do the double USA map before this, but that is at most 240 tiles. My concerns may be due to solo play where I'm biased towards building to the side of the table I'm sitting on.

I'd asked about my table before and Scott kindly answered:
"As for your table limitations, tiles are 1.75" square, so your 37x74" table can hold a maximum of 882 tiles. If you build a 42x84 topper, that will go up to 1152 tiles. These numbers assume no gaps, which is unlikely. They also don't leave room for the scoreboard or for players to store their meeples. So maybe deduct 10% or so to allow for both of those."

Now is there a tool that counts the tiles up for you in your collection?.... That will be a new thread.

[SailingMeeple]

I'm more like a Carcassonne polywog and I've not yet played Robbers

Haha, well, I actually don't have that series of mini-expansions (flying machines, robbers, messengers, etc.), but luckily the people I usually play with, do. But that's also the reason I only know a few of those. And there are some expansions that I've never played as well, so you're not the only one who's not quite up to date with all expansions.

I have played farmers once (my last game) and I'm just beginning to wrap my head around it.

It does take getting used to, playing with farmers.

It was a solo game where I was playing "Black Decar" and had even lapped him on the score track, but then the tussle for a massive farm began (~15 city one so 45 points on offer.) Literally on the last draw black Decar drew a dragon tile and the dragon immediately ate my farmer on a Hill (counts as two). I'd thought I countered it enough by having the Dragon do in one of his farmers, but that last tile linked another farmer into the field and so even the tie was lost and Black Decar's comeback was complete (also nabbed a double monastary with three vineyards about six turns before the end of the game to boot. )

Oh no, so close to victory. At least it keeps the game interesting.

Now is there a tool that counts the tiles up for you in your collection?....

I don't know if there is one - it would definitely be useful. I basically made my own Excel-file where I can kind of 'tick off' the expansions I'm playing with, and it will tell me with how many tiles I'm playing, adjusted for the number of players (since some expansions have you take out or add tiles depending on the number of players you're with). I have it set so that double tiles count as two, so it's not literally the number of tiles but it does count tile-spaces.

Good luck on your two player Mega solo game! Would be curious to find out how it looks at the end of the game.