Difficult player Type 3: Griefers and TrollsDifficult player Types and ways to deal with them Part 3: Griefers and Trolls
Definition:
Someone whose only purpose is to disturb the game and the community and cause dissent.
Description:
Griefers are people who by any means try to destroy the fun for others. They like to kill other characters, just interfere with every nice scene, disturb dialogue... anything that would make the other players frustrated, angry.
Trolls are a similar race, but with a slight difference. They try to get attention by terrible behavious. As this, they are very common not only among roleplaying boards but mostly on discussion boards. Trolls will post to raise dissent, their posts are aggressive, controversial, and usually without any point except attacking other users. Often they will post very similar posts, often with faulty content, all aimed to get many and if possibly heated responses.
One or two active Trolls or grievers can basiacally stop the productive and fun life of a group.
How to deal with them:
The best way to deal with them is a ban, as far is that is possible. But be warned, sometimes they will return with a different name or IP adress. Sometimes they will also merely move on to a different group with similar content, so waring others would be a good idea.
Another method, one which only works with Tolls, though, is ignoring. Delete their posts and act as if nothing had happened. As I said, they want the attention and if they don't get any they will leave and search for a different place where they get it.
Please comment, and admins, please share your strategies and experiences so that we can make this guideline more detailed and helpful.
Trolls are a very known race. They started to act like this long ago in the first created news groups, and someone named them so, "Trolls", because they only want to destroy all they meet, just because. Yep, the best way is to delete the posts and to ban them. Sooner or later they will give up.
As for Griefers... I had not identified them as a type, really, I usually tend to deal with them as I do with Mary Sues or Divas (so, read the former posts ). They do all to get for attention or because they "rock", and if you try to speak to them all you'll get (usually) will be a "Why not?".
So, the best way to deal with them is to block them ICly, to deal with them OOCly and if all this fails... to ban them from the game. Should they insist posting in the middle of a scene, to ignore those posts (and to ban the player :P). As Trolls or Divas or MS, they will leave when they get tired.
). They do all to get for attention or because they "rock", and if you try to speak to them all you'll get (usually) will be a "Why not?". 
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