I found this new Minecraft SMP called Gistcraft and it is just starting from day one so everyone is kind of fresh and equal.
The server is semi vanilla so it feels like normal Minecraft but with some extra stuff. There are teams so you do not have to play alone if you do not want to. There is an economy and auctions so players can trade and sell items instead of just grinding alone.
They also use proximity chat so you can talk in voice when people are near you in game. It supports different platforms so more people can join and play together. There are events and some unique plugins like player head drops that make pvp and collecting stuff more fun.
The community is still small and early so new players can help shape how the server grows before it gets huge. It really feels like the kind of place where you can join now and be there for the whole journey.
