As another person who really wants to get more involved with the exploration stuff and can't seem to pull enough of an idea together for it, I seriously want to thank you for this. It seems like really good compromise to bring in more of it without forcing the people who aren't as interested to take part.

I'm gonna agree with everyone else that 3 seems like the best option. I know I find it easier to jump in on something with a new person if both characters have something to work towards, so it might help with branching out cr too.

Thank you for all your work on this!