Roles at a Glance
A quick orientation to the major departments. None of this is required reading — pick a job that sounds fun, examine the people around you, ask in radio if you get stuck. The upstream guidebook has deeper per-department pages; this one is just the overview.
The shorthand for VS14: every department matters, none of them are "the main one." Pick what sounds fun this round.
Command
Captain, Head of Personnel, Head of Security, Chief Medical Officer, Chief Engineer, Research Director, Quartermaster. The heads coordinate their departments, sign off on access changes, and set the tone for the rest of the station. If you take a head role, plan to be visible and reachable on the radio — a department with an absent head feels rudderless.
The full upstream Command page is here.
Security
Officers, the warden, the detective, the HoS. Security keeps the peace and responds to antagonists. The standard is "competent crew member," not "competent cop" — escalate proportional to the threat. A casual hangout doesn't mean light security; it means security that's careful with their authority.
Medical
Doctors, paramedics, chemistry, the CMO. Patch up the crew, run chemistry for medicine, defib the dead. Medical chemistry is one of the most rewarding crafts on the station — the Medical chemicals reference is a good starting point.
Science
Researchers, the roboticist, the RD. Unlock tech via R&D, build mechs and borgs, dig into the anomaly + xenoarch flows. If you like puzzles and "what does this button do," science is your home.
Engineering
Engineers, atmos techs, the CE. Power, atmos, hull patches, expansions. The station literally runs on engineering — even a quiet round needs the singularity stable and APCs charged. The upstream Engineering section has the technical reference.
Cargo
Cargo techs, salvagers, the QM. Order supplies for departments, run the salvage shuttle, keep the budget alive. Cargo is friendly to new players — the workflow is order, receive, deliver, repeat — and salvage scratches the exploration itch.
Service
Bartender, chef, botanist, janitor, lawyer, librarian, chaplain, mime, clown, musician. Service makes the station feel lived-in. Half the memorable moments on a VS14 round come from someone behind a bar or a botany hydroponics tray. The upstream Service section has per-job detail.
Civilian / passenger
You can also just be a passenger. Show up, wander the station, talk to people, find a hobby. Some of the best characters at VS14 don't have a job title at all.