Craftin’ in Grafton: Plymouth-Focused Minecraft Server Takes Off
By Andrew Schafer
Published November 2, 2026
When I first saw an instagram post promoting the launch of a Minecraft server meant for Plymouth State University students, I have to admit I was feeling a bit split. While the idea of it sounded interesting, I wasn’t sure how manageable this kind of endeavor would be. With that in mind, I interviewed Justin Theberg, the creator of the server, to get an inside look on how this project came to be and what his experience as an admin has been like.
Theberg, a freshman, told me it wasn’t his first time running a Minecraft server. “I do it a lot for fun,” he said. “I’ve had a server reach over 100 members in the past.” The idea of starting one for Plymouth students had been dancing around his head over the summer, but Theberg said he was motivated to actually start it while he was in class. “I’m looking at YikYak, slacking off,” he said, when he saw someone post that they wanted to start at Minecraft server, “And I message the person, ‘I can do this. I’m really good at this.'”
An issue Theberg faced early on was the prospect of spreading the word for his server and getting exposure prior to the launch date. Thankfully, other Plymouth groups helped bring attention to the server through social media, including a collab post with the Plymouth E-Sports account. Through this, he was able to build up a small following before the server’s launch on Oct. 3. “I will say the gap was pretty tight from when I launched the account to the Minecraft server launch–it was 2 weeks–but by the server launch we had 150 followers,” he said.
Alongside this, the server’s dedicated Discord server had reached more than 100 members before the launch day. The Discord has been heavily promoted, as players looking to join the Minecraft server first need to link their accounts to the Discord before gaining access. According to Theberg, the server peaked at 32 players on launch day, and since then over 105 players have joined.
Theberg said he was nervous at first that the server, which is hosted in Germany, might be slow. “But for me and for everyone else, latency hasn’t been that bad,” he said. “I’m hoping I can get a bigger budget and then rent out a server somewhere in the US at least.” There haven’t been many issues with the players on the server either, who have been fairly civil. Theberg described the overall player base as chill. “I’m a little surprised we haven’t broken out into anarchy yet,” he said.
As for plans moving forward, there are a few ideas that have been floating around Theberg’s head. He said he may want to eventually transition the server into being USNH-focused to attract players not only from Plymouth State University, but also UNH and Keene State University. While that idea is only in the conceptual stage, if put into fruition it could help expand the player base to a much wider audience.
In the server itself, players have already gotten deep into building giant houses, small towns, and other structures as the server grows over time. Within the first five hours of the server’s launch, its players had already defeated the final boss for the first time. In response to massive in-game deforestation, a player took it upon themself to dress their character as the Lorax, build a giant Lorax statue, and start a tree sapling donation box. The players have helped breathe life into the server in its early stages of development, something that may help it much in the long run. For those interested in joining the server, it is currently available to join on both the Java and Bedrock editions of the game.