RPing in hostile territory: A field guide to looking good and rolling with punches.

[Quillian]

The suggestion that you made, Yeldir, about dropping out of character and engaging then jumping back into character seamlessly reminds me of the concept of improvisation in theater.  

 

In improv you have to be able to roll with the punches and kind of direct the conversation or the scene in the way that you want it.  It can almost be like you're playing two scenes at once, one in character and one out of character.  There are lots of different kinds of actors out there.  Some are better at improvisation and others are amazing method actors who get almost dangerously into character.  Neither one is better than the other, but they both deal with situations differently, which is not to say bad at all.

 

I think the people who balk at the idea of acknowledgement towards the trolls and deescalating the situation in that way are just this, they are more focused method actors.  That's completely fine. But the problem is that the situation that we're in isn't ideal.  We're street performers.  We're comedians.  We have to deal with the random individual who happens to stumble upon us.  This can be disruptive, or could even make the roleplay better.  It's just as much about our style as the people who disrupt us.  

 

When a comedian is heckled they can react in a couple of different ways, and I think those ways very much parallel the ideas you suggested.  If ignoring works for you, then go for it.  I, personally, don't have the concentration to ignore trolls like that (though I can't say that I've run into them that much).  But if you're able to improvise, then improvise, yeah?

[Amadeus]

Pride is a fool's fortress.  Just come back to Balmung, we miss you all

 

Why subject yourself to playing on the official troll server?  Because of legacy players?  My FC mate summed it up pretty well.  He said it was like going to a bar with your friends, but leaving to drink by yourself because the regulars were there.

 

Just my two cents.  I hope you guys have fun doing whatever you do :thumbsup:

[Yeldir Melfusor]

Aldeus, there are threads for that line of discussion. This isn't one of them.

[Asyria]

Aldeus, there are threads for that line of discussion.  This isn't one of them.

 

QFT.

 

 

Kudos for that field guide, it gave me a new perspective on Tavern RP that I strangely never thought about.

 

My solutions to dealing with trolls in the past have been either to ignore (not very efficient) or counter-troll (the troll either feels ashamed of their failure and leaves or treats you as a bro for your trolling skillz, I've seen both happen).

 

Still planning to try your sugegstion and see how it goes.

 

All in all, we just gotta remember that those people are humans, just like us.

[Kossori]

Pride is a fool's fortress.  Just come back to Balmung, we miss you all

 

Why subject yourself to playing on the official troll server?  Because of legacy players?  My FC mate summed it up pretty well.  He said it was like going to a bar with your friends, but leaving to drink by yourself because the regulars were there.

 

Just my two cents.  I hope you guys have fun doing whatever you do :thumbsup:

 

No.

[Yeldir Melfusor]

THREAD! RISE FROM YOUR GRAVE, AND RENDER AID TO THE NEW MEMBERS!

[Darien Cadell]

Thank you for the resurrection, good sir!

 

I've never trolled RPers, but I have countertrolled trolls and I've definitely been a public/OOC channel jerk on occasion in various games (which is why I usually keep them turned off because the temptation is so great).

 

I've also tried the techniques outlined in the original post, and I agree, they work.

 

(I've also found that TERA's main RP server has such a roleplayer heavy population that people can do horribly nasty ERP type things in the Global channel (of all places) and suffer no repercussions whatsoever. To their credit, they are usually doing it with hilarity and/or squick in mind, thus are themselves trolling. Trolls on Celestial Hills don't seem to have the stamina to keep up with the sheer flood of roleplay, as I've seen it.)

 

The hardest part for me can be not showing anger when I'm angry, if I'm really angry. And the NO FRIENDLY HUGS IN PUBLIC is something that has made me sadface in the past. Still, the validity of 'some people just don't want to see that' is difficult to argue.

 

The only argument I have is that I don't believe it's actually possible for the roleplaying community as a whole to change how the community as a whole is viewed. That is something I don't believe will ever happen. There are always going to be RPers who storm off in a huff or hurl back insults because they are pissed off. Not that they don't have a right to be pissed off. But they're not helping anyone and they're actually hurting others by that response.

 

My point being if you use these tactics, you're going to need to always use them. Don't think that you can "act cool" for a week and suddenly you'll be free to RP however you want harassment free for the next several years. You may get an immediate reprieve, you will likely even earn the respect of the occasional individual or group of individuals, but there will always be people reinforcing the stereotypes of both easy-to-get-a-reaction-from RPers and silly giggly trolls, and you will always have to be the 'I'm too cool to be annoyed' person to fend them off.

[Yeldir Melfusor]

My point being if you use these tactics, you're going to need to always use them. Don't think that you can "act cool" for a week and suddenly you'll be free to RP however you want harassment free for the next several years. You may get an immediate reprieve, you will likely even earn the respect of the occasional individual or group of individuals, but there will always be people reinforcing the stereotypes of both easy-to-get-a-reaction-from RPers and silly giggly trolls, and you will always have to be the 'I'm too cool to be annoyed' person to fend them off.

 

Quoted for overwhelming truth. You're really a fellow who knows the game!

[Levi Druthers]

I'm not sure why anyone would call hugging a friend or loved one in public ERP.  Makes no damn sense. I hug in MMO all the time.  

 

Also been ignoring and reporting trolls since 2001.  I never acknowledge or drop to their level and works for me.  I guess each their own.

[Asyria]

I'm not sure why anyone would call hugging a friend or loved one in public ERP.  Makes no damn sense. I hug in MMO all the time. 

 

Right that's like saying hugging IRL is like having sex.

If so I have a lot more fuck friends than I thought! o_O

[LiadansWhisper]

I'm not sure why anyone would call hugging a friend or loved one in public ERP.  Makes no damn sense. I hug in MMO all the time. 

 

Right that's like saying hugging IRL is like having sex.

If so I have a lot more fuck friends than I thought! o_O

 

I know, right?

 

Seriously, even on non-RP servers, I have always seen people hug each other.  It's just an expression of affection.

[Yeldir Melfusor]

How you see it, and how a community that is looking for excuses to revile and condemn you sees it, is naturally going to have quite the disparity. Don't expect it to make sense to you. It really isn't supposed to.

 

If we're all polite and tactful in the first place, things won't get so bad, on either Gilgamesh or Balmung. Things are looking pretty bright for both servers. A lot of the more extreme tactics I outlined don't seem necessary, even to me. I ran into virtually no opposition during any of the beta cycles. Everyone was doing what they liked, be that in character banter, or blaring mindless profanity on shout. Yeah, things are looking good. I'm glad for that.

 

But if it gets as bad as it can - the ignore feature becomes functionally useless, and the slightest gesture of affection is glowing beacon that says "RUIN MY GAMEPLAY FOR THE NEXT THREE MONTHS". Whether or not you can personally believe that, I suppose, is down to your own personal experience with this kind of thing. I wrote all of this guide out of experience.

 

If the last chapter of my guide proves to be entirely unnecessary on Balmung and Gilgamesh, I'll be glad for it. It would be good for everyone, even me.

[Brave]

Well written, and overall great strategies for dealing with trolls!  Thank you for posting it

[Levi Druthers]

If any troll gets their rocks off over a hug or a handshake or something then they are a bad troll. In EQ2 we had and entire guild troll our RP events.  What did we do?   Got together, reported them, ignored their antics and watched a GM come and kick them offline.  We didn't leave, we didn't acknowledge them in the degree you stated (as those who did made the trolls do even WORSE things) and enjoyed our event. 

 

So yes it is all subjective. If following this works for someone go for it. Take what you feel from it and find what works for you.

[Hali]

This needs stickied. Seriously. People need to read this not once, but anytime a doubt of any kind arises. I've been RPing for bloody years and have encountered every single on of those things and seen all those strategies, but it is a wonderful thing to have it all written down in one place as a definitive guide, not just for newbies, but for veterans who may forget themselves in a moment of frustration.

 

Seriously. Sticky this. Please.

 

EDIT: Also, sometimes, the best thing you can do to trolls is to actually pause your RP so long as no one else involved is bothered by that, and -play along-. Fight fire with fire. Turn what the troll is trying to bother you with into something amusing, something silly that you can laugh at. They spam AoEs at you? Spam them back. They strip and start "air-humping" you? Play along. It might last a bit, but eventually, they'll realize they aren't getting to you and will give up. Being a troll myself (not to -actually bother- other RPers, though!), it's easier for me to understand and to do, and a little easier for me to keep it up until that point. lol

[Yeldir Melfusor]

Event? The strategy I've outlined isn't really designed to salvage an event. It's a method of reducing and deflecting the interest of individuals who are "capable" of 3+ month campaign of coordinated disruption that has several dozen agents on at any given time.

 

If you think that sounds absurd, you've never seen the SA goons agitated, and they will apparently be playing on both Gilgamesh and Balmung.

 

 

It's hard to tell for sure, though. There appears to be some confusion on their own forums. I think they're waiting until the last moment to finalize the decision.

 

In their case, though, things can go both ways. Happy goons are easy-going, busy buzzing bees, love goofy humor, and are generally fun to be around. Agitated goons are the africanized variety, work in huge groups, and never tire of stinging. If we can get a few of them interested in our community, we'll get some productive and amusing members, as well as some degree of protection from goonswarms. Assimilation is always the better strategy.

 

I'm starting to think I should share a full account of my story. It might bring me the wrong kind of attention, though... I'm not talking out of my ass when I said I wrote this using my own experience as a guide. We're clearly thinking of two different scales of trolling, here, Willow.

[Levi Druthers]

Apparently so as EQ2 trolls THRIVE on trolling rpers.  There is an entire guild dedicated to do so.  They say in channel they will during events or any RP at all 

 

I personally stand by my point to ignore and report trolls.  Never ever have I seen or been part of acknowledging a troll and their actions as a good thing afterwards. They always escalate and get worse

 

As I said each their own and I agree that people should not hide their RP behind closed doors

 

But last I'll say about that as not my intention to start any war.  Be glad to continue in a pm

[Darien Cadell]

The only time in recent memory that I can remember actually being bothered by a troll (actually being irked and annoyed, as opposed to simply trolled) was when I was being actively trolled super-spam-noisy-action-and-demented-emote style by a roleplayer who I knew roleplayed and I had roleplayed with on a different character and they had seemed like a nice, open, welcoming person.

 

Then they started teabagging my face and I felt like I'd been stabbed in the back, and I snapped at them in tells. Hoo boy, was that the worst idea ever. After I ignored them, they ended up calling in friends and when we tried the disperse and regroup thing they hunted us down until we finally instanced ourselves. Gragh. I reported the hell out of them, but ehhh.

 

Most of the time I enjoy a good troll, so giggly OOC inviting them to join in or noticing the stiff breeze from the Blizzard spells is easypeasy. But the repercussions for letting them know their harassment is working can be incredibly intrusive. If you can avoid it by being on their side just a little bit, you're so much better off, soooo much.

[Gideon Aryeh]

Both servers can use this right now