Def Spec -- Should I, Really?

[Darian]

I'm convinced aggro management doesn't really matter as to where talent points go as long your play style uses the skills right though.
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I'm thinking you're right. After this post, and without re-speccing, I spent a few days living in defensive stance (switching out for things like charge, whirlwind, intercept if needed), and while it wasn't ineffective, it just didn't suit me. What it did do, however, was very much the same thing as you described with your experiment -- it made me more comfortable with using those prot talents.

So what I've done now is a 31/11/9:

Deflection x5
Tactical Mastery x5
Anger Management
Deep Wounds x3
Improved Overpower x2
Improved Charge x2
Impale x2
2H Spec x4
Axe Spec x5
Sweeping Strikes
Mortal Strike

(completely bypassing improvements to HS, Rend, and TC, having found them to be mostly useless as far as damage goes now that I'm not soloing anymore; rend is merely another cheap aggro-inducer, TC is merely a slow/aggro generator, and improving HS just doesn't seem economical as I use it less and less)

Cruelty x5
Improved Demo x5
Piercing Howl

Anticipation x5
Toughness x4

If I find that I'm just not encountering situations where MS is useful -- thus far I haven't, but I have yet to do Strat dead side or UBRS and beyond -- I might respec again to drop a few points in arms and move them toward more aggro-friendly prot skills.

But with this build, as an example... I have now twice managed to get Ras Frostwhisper so pissed off at me that he blew me back into the corner, followed me, and then stayed on me the entire fight, completely ignoring everyone else. And if that ain't tanking, nothing is... ;)

One other observation, gleaned from a particularly frustrating night staging a guild event raid on Maraudon with a group that had way too many hunters: the most effective tool a tank has to manage aggro, regardless of his talent spec or play style, is the people he's grouped with. Both Scholo runs referred to above, the party was patient and allowed me a couple of seconds of private time (cuddling with the target to say my tear-stained goodbyes, of course) before starting to unload; on the Maraudon run, I had a hard time getting the hunters to not start shooting before I'd even engaged after charging. The difference between the two situations was so dramatic that my priest and I began commenting on it immediately. I don't think any tank, regardless of spec, is going to be able to hold aggro when high-DPS attackers start laying into the mob before you can even get a hate groundwork laid down.