Just as in real life, there are people on FIBS who are rude, offensive, or even abusive. Some players will leave a game just before losing and refuse to finish the match. Other players send obscene or abusive messages.

I regularly receive emails from upset MacFIBS users asking me to resolve a dispute; there is little I can do administratively to help since I have no role or access to the server and its user database. However, there are some features of MacFIBS that help deal with problem players.

Droppers

A dropper is someone who leaves a match just before losing. By dropping out the match (which they refuse to complete) they don't suffer the match loss. Some players use this tactic to artificially inflate their ratings by quitting whenever it is apparent they are about to lose.

Nobody likes droppers. It is exceedingly rude, and players who drop matches become very unpopular. Droppers can be frustrating, but there's little you can do about it. In extreme cases, the FIBS sysop (Patti) has taken action against droppers, but unfortunately they continue to be a problem. The best advice is to not get overly upset about droppers, just don't play them again.

Don't be a dropper.

Verbal abuse

Some players seem to enjoy attacking other people on FIBS using the only weapon available to them: words. Some immature players try to shock other members with streams of obscenities, other players may unleash a verbal attack at you if they lose a game. The best advice is to ignore such behavior, as any response is usually a further incentive to the offender.

Identifying droppers and other undesirables

You can use the player notes feature of MacFIBS to note who you've had a bad experience with. You can choose a specific color (such as Yellow) to apply to known droppers. You can also blind or gag players players (see related topics) so you won't see invitations from them or allow them to chat with you.

Related topics

	Gagging and blinding players
	Saving player notes
	FIBS culture
	About the FIBS server