The
Service Department is a department made up of various roles tasked with serving crew members and supporting the station through provision of amenities, services, and surface-level maintenance. While not a major influence on the direction of the round, service roles (excluding the
HOP) often have a very indirect impact on the health of the station: without the
Chef the station would have more difficulty eating, without the
Janitor a dirty station would bring about chaos, and without a
Clown there wouldn't be enough fun and joy. Service roles are often the best environment for players to learn game mechanics while also interacting with fellow crew members. Having a very low skill floor and expectation of competency, service roles allow for room to learn. In addition, roles like
Botanist and
Chef have extensive mechanics that allow players to continue having fun with the role well into 1000+ hours of gameplay. Roleplay is a major aspect of a few of these roles, for example, the
Chaplain,
Librarian,
Barber,
Mime, and
Clown are almost exclusively roleplay based. Due to the lack of responsibilities attached to most service roles, players have room to branch out and roleplay. Service roles are great for any player, especially those who want a more laid back, chill, social round.