[Crawdad]

Play both, see which one you like. Same advice I'd give for what class to play- roll everything that sounds fun and give it a try before settling for one.

I personally enjoy Blue more due to the population (700-1400), community and my unreliable schedule. There are very few zones that are completely empty, and there's always someone in a newbie yard to buff/toss a velium weapon. Most people are sociable if not very friendly and quick to chat about the whole feel good EQ-nostalgia train we're all here for. You wont always be able to get X camp, but that's the price you pay for having a similar-to-Live population (which is more important to me than camping item-X). There's plenty of zones and plenty of people to enjoy your time on Blue, so long as you don't get frustrated by the presence of others. Blue might be for you if you like meeting people, leveling classically, and aren't in a rush for acquiring specific items.

I play on Red occasionally too, and it can be a lot of fun. Some people prefer the Exp bonus to fly through levels and the lack of competition due to the low population (100-350). If PvP is your thing you may or may not have fun, depending on how seriously you take it. EQ made no attempt at balancing PvP, so some classes can be frustrating when coupled with EQ mechanics. Red does have a much smaller population, so if you don't dig the ghost town vibe it might not be your thing. Global OOC helps the server not feel so empty, but comes with what I'll call "lack-luster" banter by and large. Red might be for you if you want to level extremely fast, don't care about the population, and don't mind or enjoy PvP.

So! Play both, see which one you dig. Maybe play both if that's your style.