In retrospect, after many weeks of playing, I gotta say: It’s possible to play a real tank!
If the players know how to play with a tank. So, the tank gotta tell them: “If you attack something before I do, deal with it, I won’t and sit on the floor watching.” 
Most range players attack as soon as they see something. Then cry the tank is not doing his job if they die cuz they have aggro on them. Taunt is 8 metres around the player, not 120.
So, at the beginning of an expedition I write exactly that: “If you attack before I do, deal with the aggro and I’ll sit on the floor.”
Level 66 elites in Malevolence, no problem, I barely have to dodge. Winter Warrior, Thorpe in Depths, Zhou in Dynasty, I stick myself to a wall and sleep on the keyboard almost.
As long as the healer heals the tank, not the idiots that decided they can handle aggro, easy peasy, lemon squeezy.
I’m even playing 50% Str/50% Con for kicks. Less HP cuz I hope I get a fairly ok healer in the group. 
And GreatAxe. Taunt and Maelstrom are just perfect together, then Gravity well on the bunch and the group is there for the picking by the DPS.
S&S is not weak. Sword DPS is not to be shy about. It’s almost like a small very fast AOE attack. Even the heavy attack is faster. DPH wise a WH is stronger, but DPS wise, not so sure. Cuz it’s super quick to swing and turn at the same time, attack more mobs in a second than with a GA or WH.
In short, the sequence is this:
I go forward and aggro everything. When I start attacking+Defiant Stance, then the group comes join the party. Wambam, g’night m’mam.
To keep the aggro, it depends if they are mobs that attack often or not. If they do, I cannot lose the aggro. If they do not, I have to attack a bit to make sure to keep it.
Reck