The bad actors, you call them, flagged as RP I point out, would otherwise just be using a ploy to mislead other player into thinking they had an advantage when they just had better intel and the skills to win. So that their less skilled players could have a clear run and a winner ribbon.
I'd only pull them up on instigation of their plan when the event was still bugged despite your insistence each new build on BR had every issue covered and didn't put your last build on BR before release which happened without your knowledge even - soft opening as we call it.
It was clear to me doing so much on the beta that taking control of the event on your home server was very much an advantage to gaining blue ribbons with their 90% better rewards. Potentially you could be reduced to just a few players with the skills and knowledge to lock down the event working in shifts. Even 4 people on each server there is with enough MC could do it in theory. And in so doing completely destroy any interest for others to play them once they had realise the futility and perhaps the MC they had spent in vain.
I had some time ago suggested you take a look at an exceptional player made video series that may have had you realise what capable players with great planning and skill can achieve in an unlikely and regarded as an impossible goal. Much to be learned from the player's perspective, if nothing else the line "These players are actually having fun raiding?" as their own prospect of their goal dwindles.
Getting players to turn up naked was a hoot. That's more about a player's own greed and the frustration brought about by having the build still full of holes. The mithril axe on a dwarf does indeed look like the rendering shown, though having seen the all those combat axes I'd actual prefer them to "show" off how great my crafter was to those waiting by for my wears. Like that's ever likely to happen...
What got me with the event was the use of the drinking mechanic and it was only doing the quick Wistmead 4 quick quests a day that I got it. Stopped drinking many years ago so as soon as the Inn League got implement I took the steps anyone can make to all but mitigate their effects when playing such content. So I never realised the intention was to have a balance of some faster run but increased drunk effects in play. But ofc I just had my character off centre to tell me I had drunk the ideal 3. As anyone can do. So I finally get the why it's been used, as some choice to go slow with less drunken effects or quickest with the worst of them in play. But ofc none of my runs, whatever I imbibed made a ha'penny difference to me. Fast is fast, first to pick up cable too is a win. Though first to pick up to later be passed by four others and then to repass them all for a win has some fun factor. But maybe there's something I have missed still.
As for the Axe being seemingly server specific up to now, either not exactly taxing or another bug? Just to present each newcomer to the event a 2 in 3 chance to fail their only run of the day. Winners pick the servers' quick axe and do it quickly.
And with all that, how was the new crafting tier ideas to be implemented? I've been using the crafting systems for all those years and it's gotten all the way to Westernmet before it got killed. Needs reviving fully before it become a zombie in Umbar.
Leave the guilds as they are to make up for dearth from the last few years too.
If only you guys had someone with more than lacklustre game play knowledge to show us any of you have someone to ask "how bad an idea is this?"