Town of Salem is presented somewhat in the style of an animated board game, pitting fifteen people against each other in a clever roleplay battle of wit, perception, strategy, and deception.

A quick recount of a fun session I played.
In a recent game, I was the serial killer. That means I can kill at night and can not be killed. All I have to do is keep killing people, keep deceiving them, and not leave any clues for them to suspect me. I won this specific game, because there was a player named Snoop Dogg and every time I killed someone, I would leave a "death note" with a vague dog-related reference on the victim - even some as obtuse as "Bow down before the Lion". This made people increasingly suspicious that this other player was the serial killer, without focusing any suspicion on myself. Yet, I (feigning to be a good guy) kept raising questions about yet *another* player, so that the town never had enough votes in agreement about Snoop Dogg to have him put on trial. Keeping Snoop Dogg alive meant I could keep killing with impunity. Until there were so few townsfolk left that I was able to kill Snoop Dogg, get away with it, and win the game.

So what is the gameplay?
When you start each game, you can pick new name. Some people choose generic and some are clever. It's the internet, so plenty are offensive. When the game starts, all fifteen players will be told what their role is. Each role comes with certain abilities, traits, alignments, and limitations. The goal is to play your role, while supporting your faction. Each role has different faction alignments. Some are aligned with the mafia and the town. Some are aligned with the town and witches. Some, like the serial killer, are aligned only with the survivors.

The game is broken up into rounds. Your activities are performed at night. If you're the serial killer, you kill at night. If you're the investigator, you investigate one person's information each night. If you're the mafia, you communicate privately with the other mafia and the godfather at night, about who to kill and then you kill them. If you're the jailor, you put someone in jail overnight. If you're the escort, you distract someone overnight.

Then there are limitations. For example, the serial killer can not kill the mafia's godfather. So if you choose to kill someone overnight, but are not able to, there's a good chance you (as the serial killer) have just identified who the god father is.

When the night is over, you get a tally of the dead and how they died. You can read their will (each player can write a will, which for some is just a clever or insulting quip, but for others is an on-going ledger of information they've gathered while playing, so that upon their death, other players are informed as to what that player knew).

Still in the day phase, everyone votes on who to execute, if anyone. If enough votes are tallied for an individual, that person has to plead their defense to the town (in their own words). The town can then determine if they find him guilty or innocent. If he's guilty, he is hung. After his death (as with all deaths), his name goes up on a visible list for all to see, along with their role. (As an aside, there are also mediums - who are the only players who can communicate with the dead players in chat, using their information for themselves or to share with the living to inform future judgments).

It will often play out something like this: Someone accuses a player of being the godfather. Everyone votes for that person. That person swears they are the sheriff and the town needs them. Nobody buys their lies. They hang him. Then the name and role appears on the grave sites... they were telling the truth! They were the sheriff! Uh oh!

And then night comes again and we carry out the rounds like this, until almost everyone is dead and the town, mafia, serial killer, or other faction is left alive and declared the winner.

There are a few small hurdles that may trip some up. They are worth dealing with.
First, this is a free-to-play browser-based game that is now also on Steam for $5 USD. Those $5 are converted to ingame currency to buy cosmetic items like death animations or houses. There is no pay-to-win aspect to the game; only cosmetic items. You also accrue currency simply by playing, so you could play with no disadvantage whatsoever without ever paying a dime.

Second, the game requires you to install Adobe AIR, so if this isn't already on your system, it will direct you to install it before the game runs. You'll also need to create a game account. Click "register" from the game's interface to be taken to the web page where you do this. The page it takes you to is a sign-up for a forum account, which may seem confusing. Just do it, as the account is directly tied to your game login. When you're done, login to the game with those credentials.

Third, when you go to play a game, you'll have the options "invite friends" and "solo". This is very misleading, but if you click "solo", you will actually be entering the online multiplayer, which is what you obviously want.

Overview.
The game is addictive and allows for a lot of role playing and deception. Even with fourteen other total strangers. Depending on the mode you are playing, there are also somewhere between 15 and 30 different roles to be played. Vigilante, veteran, doctor, mafioso, framer, godfather, spy, jailor, sheriff, escort, serial killer, witch, werewolf, arsonist, executioner, survivor, amnesiac, forger, vampire hunter, vampire, janitor, disguiser, consort, consigliere, blackmailer, bodyguard, investigator, lookout, mayor, medium, retributionist, transporter, jester...

The game becomes a clever meeting of wits, suspicions, piecing together what you know about roles and how they interact with each other, lying, determining truth, banding together, and backstabbing. It is absolutely unique and so compelling that I played six hours straight the first time I launched the game.

The game is a no-brainer at the price of zero dollars, if you play the web version. Frankly, it's worth $5 USD for the Steam version, too. If you're unsure, try the web version and decide if you'd like to support the guys behind this game by kicking in the $5 on Steam and getting this version. It also doesn't seem like there are a lack of players. Even past midnight, there were more than 300 ongoing games being played by almost 4,000 players. I never waited to get into a lobby and lobbies are filled and launched into the game within about one minute.

I can't implore you enough to give this game a shot, if any of this sounds even remotely compelling to you.

This is game is so much fun. Can be challenging, certainly addictive. There's just one negative: PLAYERS!!!! A butt-tonne of people quitting if they don't get a 'preferred role', people who quit right away if they die even though they can still be useful, etc.

I don't know if the Devs read these comments, but I'd like to ask if they can implement an autoban for quitters. Say, an hour? Maybe two hour ban? These people really spoil the game for everyone else

Great game, horrible community.

Best free browser game i've ever paid for.

I convinced town that I was a medium and can listen to the dead.
I then went to each persons house to perform a ritual to speak to their lost ancestors.
Night by night I would brutally murder each and every one of them.
They never knew I was the serial killer out to get them all.
After they were all gone I decided to come home and play some Town of Salem and found it was alright.

I absolutely loved this game, with over 1000 hours dedicated to Ranked, but I just can't recommend it anymore. It feels as though the devs have given up on the game, and after two years of waiting for them to change their course, so have I.

Some of the more specific complaints I have are:

1. An extensive data breach of millions of accounts back in January 2019.
2. Reports are player-managed and not incentivized, meaning most rulebreakers don't see their reports reviewed before they expire.
3. The rules constantly change, but these changes are listed on third party sites like Reddit, and are never mentioned in-game. They also often include sections that contradict each other.
4. The last "season" (supposed to last 3 months) has been going on for over 18 months. Seasons are a chance to rebalance the gameplay, reward players, and reset the scoreboards. None of this has happened.
5. The ELO-based matchmaking system doesn't really work, and will occasionally pair players with vastly different (>1000) ELOs into the same game.
6. Coven Ranked is dead and has been for years. The devs have done nothing to try and revive it.

These aren't problems you can solve overnight, but they also shouldn't take years to address. Constant excuses of mobile development and engine rewrites preventing them from rebalancing roles, punishing rulebreakers, or resetting the high scores were rediculous, but what's far worse is that those problems still exist months after that development has concluded.

I've seen so many people recommend not buying this game on Steam. Yes, you can play it for free in the browser. But if you decide to buy it on Steam, you get:

* 1500 Town points to use for customization
* Steam overlay
* Easy access
* Faster boot + load times
* Achievements

This is a free game. You basically pay for the "starter pack" if you buy it on steam along with a few small, extra features. If those reasons aren't good enough for you, go ahead and play the browser version. Though for $5, it's a pretty good purchase.

15 townies/15 townies.

I have never been banned, nor suspended. i Have supported the devs with money i have earned my my minimum wage job. i have over 100+ hours in the game. Yet i made a single joke about doing money laundering for BMG. and was immediately perma banned. I have tried to appeal. and was told the devs themselves consented to the ban. then was told it was libel. This was very upsetting because genuinely do enjoy playing the game. however this imo was a misstep. you will join a game, and have players making their names racial slurs. and will report them. Then a week later are back on with the same username. yet if you make a harmless joke that revolves in the community. you will be banned. forever. with no chance of appealing said ban

When I'm mafia, the town is incredibly smart.
When I'm town, the town is incredibly stupid and I'm hung as a supposed jester or mafia.
When I'm jester, I never get hung and are assumed town.
When I get my favourite role I'm killed night one.
When I get my least favourite role I last the entire game, begging to be killed.

This is actually the best. I can't believe I've spent 42 hours of my life lying about who I am.

Serious part of the review: it's like a better, more intense version of Werewolf and Mafia. TONS of fun once you get it down and figure out how to play! It's really easy to learn!

Called my name Jesus Christ
Got role Veteran
First day , I said "You shall not visit Jesus Christ"
Used alert
Killed , Lookout, Doctor, Sheriff, Framer, Serial Killer
Next day Killed by mafioso
Revived by Retributionist
Said "You can't kill Jesus"
Alert next night
Killed Mafioso


10/10 Jesus simulator