What's a troll?

[dead]

No, I'm not talking about a green-skinned, lanky, long-nosed, regenerating monstrosity that you'll find in your MM.

I'm talking about that *other* troll.

From where I come from, this term is never used in the fashion I've heard it used on EN World so I've had to come up with my own definition.

Troll
Someone who blatantly and maliciously attacks games or gaming principles that other people hold dearly too. They think they are better than you.

How's that? Is that close?

More importantly, should a troll be flamed and doused in acid whenever it pops its ugly head up? Or, should some intelligent discussion be engaged in to see if this troll can be shown the error of his/her ways?

 

[Ottergame]

actually, a troll is just someone is says inflamatory things just to get an argument started

 

[heimdall]

From http://dict.die.net/troll/

Source: Jargon File (4.3.1, 29 Jun 2001)

troll 1. v.,n. [From the Usenet group alt.folklore.urban] To utter a
posting on Usenet designed to attract predictable responses or
flames; or, the post itself. Derives from the phrase "trolling for
newbies" which in turn comes from mainstream "trolling", a style of
fishing in which one trails bait through a likely spot hoping for a
bite. The well-constructed troll is a post that induces lots of newbies
and flamers to make themselves look even more clueless than they already
do, while subtly conveying to the more savvy and experienced that it is
in fact a deliberate troll. If you don't fall for the joke, you get to
be in on it. See also YHBT. 2. n. An individual who chronically trolls
in sense 1; regularly posts specious arguments, flames or personal
attacks to a newsgroup, discussion list, or in email for no other
purpose than to annoy someone or disrupt a discussion. Trolls are
recognizable by the fact that they have no real interest in learning
about the topic at hand - they simply want to utter flame bait. Like the
ugly creatures they are named after, they exhibit no redeeming
characteristics, and as such, they are recognized as a lower form of
life on the net, as in, "Oh, ignore him, he's just a troll." Compare
kook. 3. n. [Berkeley] Computer lab monitor. A popular campus job for
CS students. Duties include helping newbies and ensuring that lab
policies are followed. Probably so-called because it involves lurking in
dark cavelike corners.

Some people claim that the troll (sense 1) is properly a narrower
category than flame bait, that a troll is categorized by containing
some assertion that is wrong but not overtly controversial. See also
Troll-O-Meter.

The use of `troll' in either sense is a live metaphor that readily
produces elaborations and combining forms. For example, one not
infrequently sees the warning "Do not feed the troll" as part of a
followup to troll postings.

 

[Ibram]

In the end all a troll realy wants it to be the center of attention. So the best thing to do is ignore them.

 

[Fieari]

troll v.,n.

1. [From the Usenet group alt.folklore.urban] To utter a posting on Usenet designed to attract predictable responses or flames; or, the post itself. Derives from the phrase "trolling for newbies" which in turn comes from mainstream "trolling", a style of fishing in which one trails bait through a likely spot hoping for a bite. The well-constructed troll is a post that induces lots of newbies and flamers to make themselves look even more clueless than they already do, while subtly conveying to the more savvy and experienced that it is in fact a deliberate troll. If you don't fall for the joke, you get to be in on it. See also YHBT.

2. An individual who chronically trolls in sense 1; regularly posts specious arguments, flames or personal attacks to a newsgroup, discussion list, or in email for no other purpose than to annoy someone or disrupt a discussion. Trolls are recognizable by the fact that the have no real interest in learning about the topic at hand - they simply want to utter flame bait. Like the ugly creatures they are named after, they exhibit no redeeming characteristics, and as such, they are recognized as a lower form of life on the net, as in, "Oh, ignore him, he's just a troll."

3. [Berkeley] Computer lab monitor. A popular campus job for CS students. Duties include helping newbies and ensuring that lab policies are followed. Probably so-called because it involves lurking in dark cavelike corners.

Some people claim that the troll (sense 1) is properly a narrower category than flame bait, that a troll is categorized by containing some assertion that is wrong but not overtly controversial. See also Troll-O-Meter.

--Jargon File



EDIT: Heh! Dysfractionated! (Dysfractionate: To post something at the same time as someone else unknowingly, generally resulting in thread incoherance) <childish>I took the time to put paragraph breaks in my post though... so there! *sticks out tongue*</childish> hehe.

 

[dead]

Who voted for 1. or 2.?

Come out of the closet please!

 

[Dark Jezter]

On ENWorld, trolls can usually be spotted when they do the following...

• Start threads asking if D&D is satanic/evil.
• Post about how 3e sucks and how 1e AD&D or 2e AD&D is much better.
• Use words like "3tards" and "turd edition."
• Post about how D&D sucks and how (Insert other RPG system here) is superior in every way.
• Create a new account, post a topic guaranteed to get a lot of passionate responses, and then disappear, never to be heard from again.
• Start rants about how alignment sucks and how it needs to be removed. There have been a million arguments over alignment before, and we've all heard the arguments for and against alignment. If a person starts up a thread with the title "alignment sucks!" or something similar, there's a good chance they're trolling.
• Compare someone to the nazis or Hitler (see also Godwin's Law).

As Ibram said, trolls thrive on attention. The best way to deal with them is to ignore them.

 

[hong]

I am not a troll.

 

[Zappo]

Unlike D&D trolls, Internet trolls regenerate when hit by flames and acid; the only way to kill an Internet troll short of moderator intervention is to leave it alone (it will wither and die eventually).

 

[hong]

Unlike D&D trolls, Internet trolls regenerate when hit by flames and acid; the only way to kill an Internet troll short of moderator intervention is to leave it alone (it will wither and die eventually).

Stop ignoring me, feck you.