I tend to start a new world, spend most of my waking hours in it for around a week or so, then quit for a few weeks before making a new world. Going through the early game repeatedly is not a problem for me, as there's generally a dozen different ways to achieve any goals in FTB, and I like building different styles of base from scratch. I'm the same in other games - I'll start an RPG thirty times to make different party combinations, but only two or three of those saves will make it to the end of the game.
I'm the same. The journey is more important than the destination, i.e. the process of progressing is more fun than being progressed.
Every time I start a new MC world, I'll try a different approach, ex. starting with Thaum rather than Forestry. This last time around, I didn't build any vanilla tools except for what recipes called for (ex. iron pickaxe for mining well for pump) and used all TC tools. TC is very fun when used from day 1. Ditto Thaumcraft.
At some point, I'm tempted to rush to the Nether and effectively start in the Nether. With Natura and NetherOres, the Nether is *almost* a viable start option. The problem with the Nether is no cobblestone or other vanilla blocks we often take for granted. I can't even build a piston to build an engine without cobblestone. I might have to allow myself to NEI up a stack of cobblestone a day, for instance, if I do a Nether start.
Water, while difficult, at least stays in the machines and tanks. It just doesn't survive out in the open. Not sure if a TE Aqueous Accumulator will work in the Nether.
Hmmm..give me an idea for a mod : NetherStart. One of the basic machines or forms of magic is to convert Netherrack to Cobblestone. Water could be extracted from Natura wood and mushrooms.