I think I an going to do two things… One I am strongly leaning to the appliance. It is a bit more than some of the generic NUC or mini PC options, but for the bulk of my need, it is supporting ipfire and will just work. This is need for the largest use case scope.
The above said, I am also looking a white-box or Frankenstein unit. This will be what I can tinker with, and indulge in. This maybe a NanoPi or some other (generic) mini-PC or even thin client.
Thanks for and to everyone that has contributed thus far, great suggestions and feedback on ideas. Happy Holidays.