I myself haven't purchased the expansion, but a friend of mine has. In exploring the additions that can be added, and how our games play out using just the base game, my opinion is that warp portals are almost a necessity for opening up the board for broader player interactions.
A variant rule my group and I will be trying out this week requires only the base game, incorporating only the rules from the expansion regarding warp portals, without any of the requisite tiles or developments themselves. It works as follows:
Every time a player explores a Sector III tile, they roll one die. On a roll of six, a blank circle-marker [there are plenty that come with the base game, though whatever marker suits your fancy can be used] is placed in that sector and acts as a warp portal in every respect as outlined in the expansion's rules. Players that have discovered warp portals in this manner no longer roll to discover additional warp portals when exploring subsequent Sector III tiles.
The aim is to have nearly every player at the board with a warp portal in the midst of their territory, thereby allowing for a greater diversity of movements, contact, exploration, and most importantly, conquest.
A variant rule my group and I will be trying out this week requires only the base game, incorporating only the rules from the expansion regarding warp portals, without any of the requisite tiles or developments themselves. It works as follows:
Every time a player explores a Sector III tile, they roll one die. On a roll of six, a blank circle-marker [there are plenty that come with the base game, though whatever marker suits your fancy can be used] is placed in that sector and acts as a warp portal in every respect as outlined in the expansion's rules. Players that have discovered warp portals in this manner no longer roll to discover additional warp portals when exploring subsequent Sector III tiles.
The aim is to have nearly every player at the board with a warp portal in the midst of their territory, thereby allowing for a greater diversity of movements, contact, exploration, and most importantly, conquest.