EPT![[image loading]](http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/821/countertroll.jpg)
Introduction:
It has come to my attention that trolling has gotten ridiculously out of hand recently and that we need to reverse this trend before it is too late. I have been asked by several people to create a guide on combating the trolling menace, so, ala fanatacist’s guide, here’s the Counter-Trolling guide.
Counter-trolls are people that don’t like trolls and try to prevent them or mitigate the damage. They come in all shapes and forms, and I will be outlining some of the basic types of Counter-Trolls, along with qualifications.
Vigilante
![[image loading]](http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y4/anielDay/BoondockSaints3.jpg)
The Vigilante is probably one of the more common types of counter-troll there is. The Vigilante tends to use troll-type attacks, and as such some of his behaviors may seem to be questionable and/or bordering on trolling. However, unlike real trolls, their actions tend either to be harmless or humorous, rather than inflammatory.
The typical Vigilante resides somewhere and often does something else when a troll may enter and attempt to disrupt the conversation. At this point, the Vigilante begins to take action against the troll.
Abilities:
Overpower: The Vigilante aggressively takes on the topic that the troll brings up, pulling up the assets of his mind, any nearby textbooks, or Wikipedia, and challenges the troll’s mastery of the topic, attempting to make him look like a fool in the process.
Prevailing Wind: The Vigilante changes the derailed topic to the troll’s inner flaws, attempting to trigger outrage. Usually used against common trolls, less effective against forum veteran trolls.
Torrent: The Vigilante posts an assortments of “lols” and other common internet memes to derail the troll and frustrate his attempts to frustrate people. This behavior may appear to be similar to that of other trolls, but these posts are directed towards one person, as opposed to a thread or a community.
Limit Break-Objection!: The Vigilante finds contradicting posts or an error that the troll makes and exposes it to everybody, causing people to burst in laughter and no longer take the troll or anything he sees seriously. Usually requires multiple posts by the troll before use.
Qualifications:
The Vigilante must be
A) Very able to evade bans
B) Some trolling experience doesn’t hurt
C) Very intelligent, to use Overpower
D) Have a lot of time on his/her hands.
Being a Vigilante is often one of the most rewarding counter-trolling roles: however, it is also the most likely to get you banned in the friendly fire.
![[image loading]](http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/9682/vigilanteantitroll.jpg)
Post-Vigilante Troll
Fireman:
![[image loading]](http://thirdpipe.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/fireman.jpg)
The Fireman’s role is much different from that of the vigilante: they tend to put out thread fires instead of addressing the causation. They most often appear in political threads to stop the massive derailments, and also appear in religion threads, attempting to smother the inflammatory post to the best of their abilities.
Abilities:
Smother: The Fireman crafts a large and elaborate post and dumps it into the thread, diverting attention from any inflammatory post.
Illuminate: The Fireman points out the post as being particularly troll-worthy, and it is either ignored or nuked as a result of this observation.
New Page: The Fireman takes advantage of the near end of the thread and posts to direct people’s attention to a new page, thus derailing would-be flamers that strike near the end of a thread.
Limit Break-Omnipost: The Fireman sees a post and immediately dumps many posts, quoting random people and addressing them, which may or may not cause a ban but will tend to cause inflammatory posts to get completely ignored.
![[image loading]](http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/1804/omnipost.jpg)
Qualifications:
Being a fireman is really easy, although the Omnipost may get you banned if you are not careful with it. No real qualifications are necessary.
Example of Fireman at Work:
http://www.teamliquid.net/blogs/viewblog.php?topic_id=101620#20
Troll Hunter
![[image loading]](http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/9581/trollhunterf.jpg)
The Troll Hunter, unlike most counter-trolls, specifically goes from forum to forum to hunt down trolls and erase their work. They tend to have even more time on their hands than the Vigilante, and often will go beyond what may earn a ban to hunt down trolls. They can even go to different websites.
Abilities:
PM: The Troll Hunter sends a PM to the troll to generate a hostile response, upon which he would post it in a relevant thread, humiliating the troll.
Track: The Troll Hunter hunts down any posts the troll have made, and in the case of blog posts, 1/5s them.
Sunder Armor: The Troll Hunter posts revealing information about the troll. This particular attack tends to get people banned, but for some people it is worth it as long as they reach their goal.
Limit Break-Mercenary: The Troll Hunter gets some other posters to launch a coordinated attack on the troll’s reputation, attempting to break it down with a combined force.
Qualifications:
A) Dynamic IP, to help deal with bans
B) A strong command of the English language and subtlety
C) Lots and lots of time on their hands
D) Relentless drive
The Troll Hunters are rare and few, but they are the most respected counter-trolls there are, although their methods may be harsh.
Good place to find Troll Hunters:
http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/index.php?show_part=19
The Moderator:
This is the most common form of anti-troll-The mod. The mod tends to have special powers in the forum which allows him to stop trolls dead in their tracks: however as they are not omniscient, trolls tend to get past their grasp anyways.
Abilities:
Nuke: Wipes out a troll post instantly. Self explanatory.
Ban: Knocks out a troll immediately. Good way to stop a tank or pyro.
Shame: Uses mod powers to find embarrassing IP information about a troll, including alternate accounts.
Limit Break-IP Ban: The IP Ban tends to be the strongest ban possible, mostly because it rids a troll permanently from the forum. However, because it is very strong, mods tend to be careful using it and use it rarely.
Qualifications:
See your local forum for details.
The moderators has great power, but he also has great responsibility.
Moderators at work:
http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/index.php?show_part=0
Most Counter-Trolls fall between a variety of these categories, and some also dip into the trolling business as well. For the most part however, we do our part to fight the trolls that are plaguing our beloved interweb.
For more information on how you can join to fight the trolls, a PM would suffice. XD
Good Place to Find Trolls to Hunt:
http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=64016
