I've been defining the following in the download page:
A Variant is a different way to play. No new materials are required. Variants only consists of rules for playing the game differently. It includes all "house rules".
An Expansion adds additional material to play. These may take the form of meeples, tiles, counters and the like (the catapult). They may have new rules or no rules at all.
An Accessory is something that is not required to play, but helps with the play. It includes things like the Tower dispenser, the scoring boards and the player boards.
By my definations, all the official releases are "Expansions". 1st Edition rules is considered a Variant (since HiG and RGG both uses 3rd Edition rules now) and the house rule where the GQ11 pig farm is counted as a pig farm is also considered as a variant. The merged City of Caracassonne one-piece also falls into this category IMO.
Those are my definations, but I'd like to hear what are you opinions about this. Please discuss.
Mostly I agree with you. However I would say that the Pig farm tile from GQ11
is a pig farm, and that
not playing it as such is a house rule. The GQ11 came without rules, and included in it was a pig farm tile. Anyone could see that since, well, it had pigs on it. Afterwards (I have forgotten his name) said that it was not to be regarded as such. To me - and to everyone else (yes
everyone) it is a pig herd tile. I am not sure what legal crux is behind this re-creation of such an obvious rule - and I do not care. It
is a pig herd tile.
Sorry for the crappy english - I am on my way out.
