Congratulations! You’ve just set foot (or claw, tentacle, or oozing pseudopod) on a Goobstation space station — a place where science, questionable engineering, chaos, and minimum-wage labor collide in low orbit. Whether you’re here to roleplay, unravel mysteries, experiment with the law of unintended consequences, or simply see how long you last before being spaced, there’s a spot for you among the crew.
Goobstation is a fork of Space Station 14, itself descended from the legendary chaos of Space Station 13. If you’re new to the genre: you and a bunch of other “lucky” employees have been hired by Nanotrasen (the most morally flexible megacorp in the sector) to keep a space station sort-of functional. Everything else — from accidental heroics to system-wide disasters — is up to you. Think of it as a cross between a workplace simulator, a sandbox RPG, and a running joke.
Your station is filled with dozens of different jobs, endless opportunities for shenanigans, and a guarantee that, sooner or later, something will catch fire. Sometimes intentionally. Sometimes not. Each round is a new shift, and no two shifts are ever quite the same.
Before the round, you’ll customize your character: name, appearance, pronouns, preferred jobs. Set your job preferences — be realistic, you won’t always get your dream job.
For absolute beginners: Set "Assistant" to High, all other jobs to Never. Assistants have no real responsibilities. This gives you space to learn the controls, explore the station, and get lost (possibly in the vents, by accident).
When you spawn, take a breath. Find your backpack, check what’s inside, and look for any useful survival gear. Open the in-game guide and actually read the controls section! Movement and interaction are a bit different from other games. Learning how to pick things up, push buttons, and scream is essential. If you joined late, you’ll start on a shuttle. Wait for it to dock, then exit to the Arrivals area. The locals may or may not be friendly, but usually they’re just confused.
Explore! Walk the corridors, meet other crew members, and try to avoid areas labeled with warning signs or blood stains (unless you’re into that). Don’t eat unidentified food or glowing substances — unless you want to roll the dice. If you’re lost, ask for directions or look for a wall map. Most stations have signs, maps, or at least other lost people to join forces with. Don’t be afraid to talk in character (IC). Simple roleplay goes a long way and helps break the ice.
Don’t panic. Everyone dies, especially in their first round. Watch and learn as a ghost, or wait for medbay to (possibly) revive you. There’s no permanent loss, just another story to tell.
The station runs (barely) because people pick up jobs. Service jobs — Chef, Bartender, Botanist, Janitor, Cargo Technician — are great for beginners. They let you interact, help out, and rarely put you in situations where a wrong button explodes the engine.
If you want a challenge, try Medical Intern, Research Assistant, or Technical Assistant. You’ll learn core game systems (and maybe anatomy, chemistry, or the laws of thermodynamics the hard way).
Prefer chaos? Some jobs put you near the action: Security (police), Engineering (keep the power on), or Science (who knows what happens in there). But be warned: these have steep learning curves and high expectations.
You can always change job preferences between rounds as you figure out what you enjoy.
Don’t forget to ask your coworkers for help. Teamwork is actually encouraged.
Late joiners start on a shuttle and must wait to dock. If you want to try new roles mid-round, ask the Head of Personnel (HoP) — assuming they haven’t gone missing or declared themselves emperor.
Goobstation runs both LRP (Low Roleplay) and MRP (Medium Roleplay) servers. On MRP, staying in character is expected. On LRP, you can get away with more, but "random murderhobo" is still not a valid character arc.
If you’re new to roleplay, don’t overthink it. Speak and act as if you really worked on a dangerous, underfunded space station. Respect your coworkers (unless you’re the Clown — then you have plausible deniability).
Each round, some players are picked to be Antagonists ("antags"). Their role is to shake things up: maybe sabotage, maybe murder, maybe just annoy everyone. If you want to be an antag, opt-in during character setup.
Not all antags are violent. Some have objectives like theft, sabotage, or spreading chaos without outright murder. Don’t assume every weird action is an antag — sometimes people are just strange.
If you’re NOT an antag, don’t act like one. Do not take justice into your own hands unless you have a very good reason (and preferably backup from Security).
If you suspect someone is an antag: Notify Security, use in-game radio, or admin help ("ahelp"). Don’t start a toolbox duel in the hallways.
Killing other players "just because" is called RDM (Random Deathmatch) and will get you banned. Even as antag, mindless rampages usually end in a ban and/or admin intervention.
Remember: If you’re confused about what’s allowed, ask. Staff would rather clarify than issue bans.
Good luck! Try not to get ejected into space, turned into a frog, or end up on the Clown’s next "prank" video during your first day. Remember: every shift is a new story — make it a good one, or at least a memorable disaster.