Idea: Planned Leveling Duo/Trio/Group

[mphintz2]

Hi again! I started P99 a couple weeks back. I'm fairly casual, but I'm really intrigued by re-experiencing all that Norrath has to offer.

Unfortunately, so far I've had to go solo more often than not. It works OK, even as a non-twink, but it's kinda boring. So I want to find a solution, and the way I see it there are only two:
1. Join a leveling guild
2. Form a planned leveling team with (some amount of) scheduled play

Option 1 seems OK, but guilds are still pretty random. You might log in right after the group filled up or the only people on could be too far away or outside your level range. When you only have a dozen or so hours a week to play, you don't want to waste any of it finding groups/traveling to location, etc. You just want to log in and go. I know some may consider this stance decidedly "un-classic." That's fine and probably true. But it's also "un-fun," which takes precedence in my book.

So I propose a planned leveling group. As many people who want to join are welcome (max of 6, obviously), but preferably it would consist of a really solid duo/trio. The core concepts would be:
- Planned times and locations (e.g. play Friday @ 8 PM, meet up at Unrest)
- Foundation of classes that duo/trio well together
- This foundation may only gain exp together, so everyone stays near same level
- Preferably an emphasis on dungeon exploration over pure exp gain, but outdoor zones are cool too (could come up with democratic system to handle where the group goes and when, etc.)
- Must want to play the game well and take criticism/suggestions gracefully (the goal is successful exploration of Norrath, after all!)
- Must want to chat and experience the game together; RL topics are cool too

For my part, I have a couple characters already, but would TOTALLY be willing to reroll to start a good foundation with a couple/few others. Characters I have or am interesting in trying (* indicates new):
- 14 Barb Shaman
- 10 Dwarf Rogue
- * Dwarf Paladin, Warrior, or Cleric
- * High Elf Enchanter
- * Iksar Monk (maybe--kinda seems like the server has enough of these guys already)

Times I'm available are: Wed - Sun, 8:30 PM EST - 12:30 AM EST

So, what do you guys think? Any takers? Any comments, suggestions, or tweaks?