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[Cergos]

Why should goblins work when slaves can?

You bring up a most interesting point, good sir or madam.

I believe the sociological outlook of the Goblinite people is a matter of utmost importance, and is something that few contemporary Dwarves deign to publish on.
Do Goblins really see all other races as slaves, and their own "kind" as "free"?
or are all creatures just a means to an end for this pragmatic and noble race?

Would a Goblin necessarily be drawn to empathize more with her downtrodden counterparts, or, in her eyes, are they no better than the slaves themselves?

Truly, we have not entirely fathomed the depth and width of the Great Goblin Society that has stood in the shadows for so long. Perhaps, theirs is the only truly equal, and truly fair society that has broken free of the shackles of innate bias and prejudice that mar so many other races.

For if all begin life as a slave, then did not all start as equals?
 

I recognise that you aren't being serious, but I think it's worth noting that goblins are never intolerant:
[PERSONALITY:TOLERANT:50:75:100]
They might enslave prisoners of war, but those they kidnap are treated as equals. Of course, that doesn't mean they are treated well, as goblins are without exception cruel and without altruism.
[PERSONALITY:CRUELTY:50:75:100]
[PERSONALITY:ALTRUISM:0:25:50]

Huh?!
Well then, I was just mostly screwing around, but that's actually pretty cool that something similar is defined in the game already.
Now, how does one turn that facet into an interesting game concept, idk.

Perhaps your fortress could eventually find itself under the iron fist of a particularly crafty Kobolt Vampire
...I'd pay to see that

[pikachu17]

Some way to make goblins suddenly have a civil war in your fort would be cool. Sadly, I don't think there is a way to do this as giving one side crazed while it stays a member of the fort(not sure). The crazed ones would be able to be caught in cage traps. (if crazed goblins stay controllable,)maybe two sides to the war, the "soldiers" and the "engineers". the engineers have trap_avoid and are great at building(including mechanics). the soldiers are good at fighting. the engineer's have a secretion that causes them to be crazed. when you start a fort the two sides immediately start fighting.

[fucduck]

.

[Z49000]

Maybe you can make goblins have extra castes than male and female: like one in ten births result in a hobgoblin, two in ten equals a brute, another two in ten equals scrappers (tall, scrawny and agile) and the other five in ten equals a regular goblin.

You could also add ogre (or oni) civs, as well as civilized kobolds, or maybe even a jotun civ, to join the goblins in their !!fun!!. Remember that hard-coded alliances can me made with BABYSNATCHER and ITEM_THIEF.

[FantasticDorf]

Not a lot is my particular verdict, they should be a fast multiplying and needlessly violent race like they are now, kobolds with live births but more aggressive and armed with pointy sticks and a fondness for troll herding and stamping all over slaves and people lesser than them. Fond of long range weapons, and lightweight exotic stabbing sticks to be more "masterworky", not terribly well armed but well manned.

Goblins domestically have anger issues and punch each other and everything else in sight frequently so that ought to come into play with promoting martial skill or some way to use or blow off that anger on a target other than the rather surly troll inkeeper who swipes their head off in one punch.

Trolls themselves are slow learners and part harvestable livestock/second class citizens who can claim rooms, if actual goblins aren't interesting, you could refocus on trolls and other such laborious races created through the slave system and spawning friendly slow learners for different functions and defense application unique or not. Import from slavers or just put down a 'troll heap' made out of refuse as a workshop and a convenient way to dispose of bodies/rubbish that accumulates in exchange for trolls, tribute trinkets and the like paid by passing wild trolls (applying a little imagination) feasting away on your junk.

Literally cash 4 corpses, to which there will be many. I guess using slaves sacrifically aswell would be helpful, pushing them in literally as fuel for a furnace when they run out of logs to burn, and making them suffer by teleport spawning them inside cages for display, given that goblins have sick desires to see people in cages (i know firsthand from goblin fortresses). Or even more amusingly getting slaves in cages, then releasing them on mass to make more bodies to get more trolls and combat experience.

[fucduck]

.

[Icefire2314]

I personally like my goblins' society to revolve around two nobles - a tyrannical overlord (and trusty underling).

I think you meant to say a not-so-trusty underling who will backstab and take the overlordship at his first opportunity.

[Melting Sky]

Weighting their character traits towards those that cause fighting, trantruming and insanity would be quite fitting.

[Meph]

Lots of ideas. Thanks everyone who posted.

[AceSV]

Goblins don't eat right?  Maybe they should have some other similar need, like they need to make sacrifices regularly or go insane.  Or they could be like DS9's Jem'Hadar, requiring some sort of addictive substance to stay alive, but if they have it, they stay alive indefinitely. 

Since goblins don't grow crops, clothing would be hard to come by.  Maybe something like spider sericulture could make up for it.  Or more focus on making things out of shells and bones. 

Having Trolls around would be great.  I don't know what the easiest way to do that would be, maybe as pets.  I loved the older versions of DF where they could ride on giant cave toads or purple worms or whatever.  Beak Dogs are boring. 

Building things out of corpses or bones would be nice.  I've got a race that can turn bones into ash and charcoal. 

[FantasticDorf]

GCS & vermin farms works well enough for the typical ('underground clothing') goblins wear.