Play with expansions only - no base game

[cicerunner]

So, hypothetically, what would it be like to play with expansions only - no base game?

Which expansions would you combine to create a fun game?

What combination of meeples and figures? Only those in the expansions themselves or would you add in some or all of the regular meeples from the base game?

What rule problems would there be, I wonder?

If anyone has actually tried this, I for one would love to hear how it went!

Linkback: https://www.carcassonnecentral.com/community/index.php?topic=4819.0

[DIN0]

I have tried in the past. Depends on the expansions used of course, but not much different. Many expansions are vanilla enough to provide a good tile base and when you play mega Carcassonne, actual base tiles are drowned out by the expansions anyway.

Lets say you play base + all 10 major expansions+all 6 minis from 2012. Base tiles only make up around 25% of the game. You reach 50%dilution by just adding the first 3 major exp.

So it is not much different than playing mega-carcassonne, just less breathing time between expansion tiles.

[cicerunner]

Thanks tp10053. I'd forgotten the propensity for mega Carcassonne here!
As you say, as more expansions are added, the presence/absence of the original base game will become increasingly irrelevant statistically.

Likewise some of the major expansions have tiles that are relatively vanilla - I have 1,2,5 & 10 and the first three of those certainly are.

Having initially played with many of my expansions I now tend to make smaller selections - typically base + 1 major + 2 minor - so base, River, I&C, T&B, Festival and Labyrinth would now be a "mega" game by my standards!

I wonder what base game sized selection (so circa 72 tiles) made by selecting complete expansions (major and mini) would produce the best "alternate base game" set up ...

[DIN0]

Well there is a topic somewhere, discussing  all "vanilla" tiles in expansions - that means expansion tiles lacking any new special features, but they can still have new configurations. Just no added rules. You might want to check it out.
http://www.carcassonnecentral.com/community/index.php?topic=2662.0

[cicerunner]

Thanks again. Reading that now ...

[Paul]

I would try with the River(s) to fill the board a bit.