OK, a little background... I'm just getting started brewing (like haven't even brewed my first batch yet!) but I am not new to the craft of fine beer tasting

My joy in drinking beer is variety, not necessarily quantity for less $. And I am an herbalist so I already enjoy the art of brewing, blending, trying new recipes. That said, I will probably stay with partial mash rather than all grain brewing (I have an extract kit here but that will probably be my first and maybe last). And I would like to do more smaller (1-3 gal) batches for variety rather than larger 5+ gal batches for quantity.
So my first question from you more experienced than I... does this sound reasonable so far?
And my second question, assuming smaller batches with more variety is reasonable, I'm on a budget, so does it make more sense to invest in a better quality 12 - 16qt pot or go with a lesser quality, more standard 20qt pot? (and any recommendations regarding which pots are better are all welcome too!)
l've done a lot of reading so far and a little knowledge can become very confusing, so now it's time for me to ask the professionals
