Vanguard's dead horses and phoenix ashes

A lot of hot topics come up again and again on the Vanguard forums. Will the rumored Vanguard free trial replace the existing racial homelands? Will Age of Conan and other upcoming games kill Vanguard? Is SOE going to make a "hardcore" server for the trufans, and what will that do to normal servers if they do? Ten Ton Hammer's Dalmarus says, enough with these dead horses. The free trial won't avoid the traditional starting areas. Players don't seem to be flocking to Age of Conan. There is no hardcore server in the works. All dead horses who have been beaten long enough, and deserve a rest.

But there's better news, a sort of bright light coming from that heap of ashes over there. New players are coming to Vanguard; old players are returning. Server populations are increasing, and the game is finding its place in the world. Why focus on dead horses when there's live ones standing all around? Dalmarus makes excellent points. Vanguard has had troubles, but it's far from dead.