Project Lore

Sit around in General or Trade chat long enough, and you're bound to see someone or other recruiting members for their freshly-formed guild. Part of the pitch almost always incorporates how "freakin' awesome" their guild tabard is. Now, I'm all for guild pride, but it's just so damn hard for me to get excited about tabards. iTZKooPA recently posted an article about fashion sense in WoW, namely how awful it can be at times (though nothing will ever compare to the Subligar class of armor from FFXI -- man-thong anyone?). One of his key complaints was the lack of available customization in the game and, indeed, if you play a certain class, you've got few options moving forward through each tier of equipment. I mean, if you've got an ugly set, you're pretty much stuck with it. So you say, "Hey, Amatera! What about tabards?! They're one of the few pieces of gear that anybody can put on!" And my response to that would be, "Maybe they can be worn by anybody, but I don't know why anybody would want to wear them!" Ugh.... it just ruins the entire outfit! Let's face it, tabards are a fashion faux pas. Even a cool design on the front (as rare as they actually are) doesn't prevent them from covering up that sweet, new breastplate you just picked up. What's the point in throwing a dirty bedsheet on top of your ass-kicking getup? It makes you look like you're getting ready for a sleepover with Ysera! Unfortunately, Blizzard sought to complicate matters with the release of Wrath of the Lich King. Leaving your guild tabard in the closet is one thing, but it's much tougher to stop yourself from wearing something that could greatly increase your ability to earn reputation. Generally, the rewards associated with the four factions that offer such tabards piddle away quickly the farther in content you get, but they still provide an easy avenue for completing rep-related Achievements, as well as add more incentive to go back and complete Heroic dungeon runs. I still hate wearing them, though. All except for the Tabard of the Ebon Blade completely clash with the dark hues of end-game Rogue armor. Just as well, they seem far too easy to come by these days. Used to be that if you were wearing a fancy Tabard of the Argent Dawn, it actually meant something! So, is there anyone else out there that hates tabards as much as I do? Or do you think they're the greatest thing to happen to fashion since Vera Bradley (and, yes, I'm ashamed to actually know what that is)? Granted, I'm pretty much a t-shirt and jeans kind of guy in real life, so if there are any experts out there, feel free to tell me off in the comments section!

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