IIRC, it's entirely possible to build an Apple II on an Apple II card and let it drive a completely passive backplane with slots 0 through 7. I think it'd even be possible to drive the bus from any slot.
The Jonathan bus would probably be a lot more robust, however, as power delivery was an issue on loaded Apple II's (with too much current flowing through too few VCC and GND pins).
The Jonathan bus would probably be a lot more robust, however, as power delivery was an issue on loaded Apple II's (with too much current flowing through too few VCC and GND pins).