life & style // no. 16 RPG hook: Going goblin > Goblins, goblins, and more goblins! Davie Wong Sports Editor Ao that has ever played an RPG game set in a medieval fantasy world has probably run into their fair share of goblins. Those green (or whatever colour you decide), creepy, humanoid creatures are staples in early-level adventures. But that’s where a lot of game masters leave them. As players grow more experienced and powerful, the mood tends to shift towards the bigger cousins of goblins, the ogres. However, that doesn’t always need to be the scenario. The biggest reason for moving away from goblins is their lack of threat. Goblins are usually inept, stupid, and pretty spineless. But that’s only as true as a game master will allow it to be. Normally it would take much more work than it’s worth to make goblins seem even moderately threatening. However, if the intent is there, it’s certainly possible to makeover our often-underwhelming friends. Goblins don't have to be enemies. Naturally cunning and devious creatures, goblins have their own societal structures and hierarchies. Perhaps the party was hired to retrieve an item, only to find out that the item they were supposed to be retrieving, they were actually fact stealing. Perhaps the item belongs to an influential goblin that the other goblin wants removed, and hopes that bringing the two parties into conflict will result in the death of his rival. Perhaps the party, on the way to another objective, is caught in between two warring factions of goblins. Their leaders might be clashing over petty things such as dibs ona fancy helm of some sort. The party is dragged into the conflict one way or another, and must navigate the “complicated” goblin hierarchy. In terms of power levels, not all goblins have to be weak. If goblins are well-armed or enhanced in some magical way, they can pack quite the punch. Speaking of magic! Although goblins are generally considered too dumb to use magic, some goblins might come across a magical item that grant them a high level of intelligence. A goblin able to cast spells, weave words of intrigue, and lead? Sounds like a good threat to me! There’s also the friendly kind of goblin. Like humanity, some goblins are born different. Instead of the need to kill and cause havoc, they just want to live peaceful and only moderately mischievous lives. But due to their poor physical stature, they can’t defend themselves too well and usually end up prey to roaming bandits. Perhaps the party goes out of their way to defend them. Or the ultimate twist—and challenge for a game master. Maybe one of the party members is a goblin. Homebrewing (when you make up a custom race, class, or feat outside of the rulebook) an entire race is no easy task, but it’s the most rewarding. A tip may be to take an existing race Attaining organizational bliss through ‘Bullet Journaling’ > If I can do it, anyone can! Sophie Isbister Contributor he new semester is upon us, and the dates, deadlines, and textbook chapters are piling up as fast as you can say “Reading break please!” We all know that the best way to stay on top of things is to write them down and then follow up. But who actually does that religiously, and all semester long? If you're smart, you already have an agenda-book. Maybe you bought it at the Douglas College Bookstore, maybe you got it for free from the fine folks at the Douglas Students Union. Even if that is the case—if youre like me, you still have no idea where to start. I’m clueless at planning, and moreover I’ve always found traditional agendas to be limiting for my needs as a busy student who holds two jobs and also tries to have a social life. My hectic schedule is what led me to “Bullet Journaling.” Ina nutshell, a Bullet Journal (or BuJo) is a deconstructed agenda. It is typically a blank journal with a hard cover and pages that are dotted in a grid formation. Instead of having the days, weeks, and months laid out for you, your BuJo lets you make it up as you go along. The pages don’t take long to fill up: you can lay out your weekly spread on the day you typically plan out your week (I do mine on Sundays—or I play catch-up on Monday morning before class), and you can create spreads for ongoing projects such as health and fitness goals, or a vacation youre planning. You can take the long view with your BuJo. When you first set up your blank book, it’s recommended that you reserve the first few pages for something called your “Future Log,” which is where you write out the year in calendar form and record important dates like your registration time, or tuition due dates for the Winter 2018 semester. These are dates that you won't record in your daily or weekly pages until they come up, but that you don’t want to forget. Bullet Journaling allows you the flexibility to use your agenda like a notebook, sketchbook, or a regular agenda—wherever your creativity takes you. If you're the type of person who stores all your assignments, important dates, and precious thoughts in a notebook in list-form, then you are probably already Bullet Journaling! I’ve latched onto the process pretty easily since I was always that person with important info scrawled on receipts that filled up my purse and backpack. With BuJo, I keep my frenzied ramblings—and even some of my school notes—all in one stylish place. The preferred hardware for pros who BuJo is the Leuchtturm 1917 (which sounds more like some kind of industrial machine than a notebook), but you can use anything: A Moleskin notebook, a wire-bound college-rule, a pad of graph theotherpress.ca Illustration by Ed Appleby as a template. For example, halflings or gnomes can be adjusted for goblins. Flip some of the characteristics and change some of the mods to better reflect how goblins are viewed and bam, you've got yourself a goblin! No matter what you do, just remember that goblins are sentient creatures, no matter how dumb they are. Don't forget to diversify personality from goblin to goblin. It’s no fun when all the goblins act the exact same! Photo by Analyn Cuarto x paper, or even a handful of printer paper. The point of the BuJo movement is not the medium you use or the content you create, but the process you use. I ended up investing in the Leuchtturm (found at Chapters for $24.00; official Bullet Journal version available for $33.00) because I like to doodle in Sharpie pens. If youre thinking about starting a journal of your own, but you want the option to control how it looks, I recommend checking out the Bullet Journal tag on Instagram or Pinterest. You'll be inspired, but don’t worry: If the beautifully designed BuJo examples online seem out of reach for you, youre not alone. My BuJo isa hot mess, and it works just fine!