Small Forewarning
Nov. 7, 2015 edit: This guide was written before the update that introduced Vampires and Vampire Hunters. Those roles and their information are currently not listed here.
What Is Town Of Salem?
Welcome to Town of Salem for dummies! If you've ever played any variations of the party game "Mafia", you will probably already know how Town of Salem is played, in which case, feel free to skip this basic introductory section.
As written by Blank Media Games, the game's developers, Town of Salem is a game of murder, deception, lying and mob hysteria. It's a game that challenges players on their ability to convincingly lie as well as detect when other players are lying.
Town of Salem's games are comprised of groups of 7-15 players. These players are split up into different factions: the town, the Mafia, and the neutrals. In all of these factions, the players are given roles with specific abilities that help their faction eliminate the others. The trick to the game is while the Mafia knows who is a part of their faction, the innocent players do not know who their allies and enemies are. Townies have to sniff out the Mafia and the killers amongst themselves while convincing the rest of the players that they're innocent.
The game has two distinct phases: day and night. Each day, everyone can publicly discuss matters with everyone else. During the latter half of the day, people can vote for other players to have a public trial if they're suspected of wrongdoing. If the majority of the players vote guilty after they give their defense, they will be lynched.
At night, players will be able to use their night ability. Depending on the role given to you, this can range from investigating another player, protecting another player, controlling another player, killing another player, and anywhere in-between. The Mafia will be able to chat amongst themselves, and some roles will be able to speak with other specific players as well.
The game is finished when only one faction remains alive.
Gameplay Mechanics
As mentioned in the introductory section above,
There are 7-15 players per game (most games have 15)
The players are split into different roles, which are parts of different factions (most prominently, the town and the Mafia)
The game is made of a distinct day and night phase
People can chat amongst each other and vote on people to go up for a trial during the day, which will be followed by a public lynching if they are found guilty
People can use their abilities during nighttime, and some select groups, such as the Mafia, can chat with themselves/others during this time
The game is over when only one faction remainsThe town's ability to seek out the evildoers, and the killers' ability to quickly kill the other factions' members will determine who wins each game. Games last 20 minutes on average, but can range from 5-30 depending on the circumstances.
Last wills and death notes
Something you're able to do in Town of Salem is write a will, which will appear in front of the town if you die, and even write a death note if you're a killing role, which will appear before everyone if you kill someone. They can be accessed from the buttons in the top left of the GUI.
If you're an investigative role, putting all of your information in your will is a very good idea, because the townies will be able to use that information to help figure out the bad guys.
You can also use the death note to speak anonymously to the town, and even use it to cast suspicion on other players if you're an evil role. Signing your will with your name is also a good idea if you play in Custom lobbies, though it's not important in Classic.
Day abilities
A couple specific roles have a day ability instead of/in addition to their night ability. These roles are the Mayor, Medium (only when deceased), and the Jailor. The button to do so is a sun icon in the top left of your display:
Clicking this button as the Mayor will reveal you to everyone and enable your triple vote power,
and clicking it as a Jailor or deceased Medium will bring up a list of people to target when the night begins.
Night events
There are several things that can happen to you at night, each with varying effects.
Attacked: Can be caused by several different sources. If you are not protected by someone or something that night, you will be killed.
Blackmailed: Caused by a Blackmailer targeting you that night. You will be unable to speak for the duration of the following day.
Controlled: Caused by a Witch targeting you that night. If you have a night ability, it will be used on whoever the Witch chooses.
Doused: Caused by an Arsonist targeting you that night. If the Arsonist chooses to ignite their doused targets, you will be killed. The only thing that can protect you from ignition is jail.
Healed: Caused by a Doctor targeting you and you being attacked the same night. Appears in a bright green text line.
Jailed: Caused by the Jailor detaining you for the night. You will be in a private chat room with the anonymous Jailor, and they have the power to execute you if you're suspicious. You won't be able to use your night ability in jail, but you will be protected from all outside attacks while detained. If you're in the Mafia, your teammates will be informed that you were hauled off to jail.
Protected: Caused by a Bodyguard targeting you and you being attacked the same night. Both the Bodyguard and attacker will die under normal circumstances.
Resurrected: Caused by a Retributionist targeting you after you die. You will be back in the game as if nothing happened to you, and the remaining players will be informed of your return during the morning announcements.
Roleblocked: Caused by an Escort or a Consort visiting you that night, meaning you were unable to use your night ability. The Jailor also acts as a roleblocker if you were hauled off to jail that night.
Seanced: Caused by a dead Medium contacting you from beyond the grave. They will be able to speak with you for the duration of the night.
Transported: Caused by a Transporter switching you with another player, meaning all targets visiting you will visit the Transporter's other target instead, and vice versa.
Whispering
Whispering is Town of Salem's form of in-game private messaging, and it allows you to discreetly communicate with another player during the day. Though everyone will be notified that a whisper is taking place, the only people who will be able to read it are you, your target, and any Spies.
To whisper to someone, type /w [player name] [message]. Alternatively, you can type /whisper or use the desired player's number rather than name (every player is assigned a number from 1-15, and it can be found beside their name in the bottom right). Here are some examples of how to whisper:
/w Polar Were you attacked last night?
/whisper Aural Hello, Lookout. I'm a Spy.
/w 4 The Mafia's out for you.
/whisper 13 HEAL YOURSELF TONIGHT!
Roles And Basic Advice
The roles are divided into three primary groups: the town, the Mafia, and the neutrals. While the town and the Mafia are comprised of a group of players, almost all of the neutrals are their own "faction" and thus do not have any allies to work with. These roles are often very powerful or unique, and can affect the game in many ways.
Roles
Town roles:RoleCategorySummary
BodyguardTown ProtectiveProtects one person from death each night, counterattacking any assailants.
Doctor Town Protective Heals one person each night, preventing them from dying. Escort Town Support Distracts one person each night, roleblocking them. Investigator Town Investigative Investigates one person each night for a clue to their role. Jailor Town Killing Detains one person each night, potentially executing suspects. Lookout Town Investigative Watches one person each night to see who visits them. Mayor Town Support Vote power triples after revealing themself. Medium Town Support Speaks with the dead each night. Retributionist Town Support Can revive one town member per game at night. Sheriff Town Investigative Checks one person each night for suspicious activity. Spy Town Investigative Listens in on the Mafia at night and hears any whispers during the day. Transporter Town Support Switches two peoples' positions each night. Veteran Town Killing Can go on alert at night, killing all visitors. Vigilante Town Killing Can shoot someone at night.
Mafia roles:
Role Category Summary Blackmailer Mafia Support Blackmails one person each night, silencing them during the day. Consigliere Mafia Support Investigates one person each night for their exact role. Consort Mafia Support Distracts one person each night, roleblocking them. Disguiser Mafia Deception Can disguise themself as a dying person at night. Framer Mafia Deception Frames one person each night, showing them as Mafia to investigatives. Godfather Mafia Killing Kills one person each night. Janitor Mafia Deception Can clean a dying person at night, erasing their will and role. Mafioso Mafia Killing Carries out the Godfather's orders each night.
Neutral roles:
Role Category Summary Amnesiac Neutral Benign Can become a non-unique role from the graveyard at night. Arsonist Neutral Killing Douses someone in gas or ignites all doused targets at night. Executioner Neutral Evil Tricks the town into lynching their target. Jester Neutral Evil Tricks the town into lynching themself. Serial Killer Neutral Killing Kills someone each night. Survivor Neutral Benign Can wear a bulletproof vest at night, preventing them from dying. Witch Neutral Evil Controls someone each night. Werewolf Neutral Killing Become a Werewolf during full moons, killing everyone at one house.
(Roles with a link lead to my guides for those respective roles.)
Basic advice
This is more oriented towards those who have not played any variations of the Mafia party game in the past. If you're new to the concept, continue reading if you want some basic pointers.
Observe and learn. You likely won't understand everything Salem has to offer during your first games, but by keeping a mindful eye on the game's events and learning what your role does, you will figure out the tricks of the trade much faster than if you don't pay attention. Plus, being aware will help ensure no slip-ups or lies get by you.
Play Classic mode if you're less experienced. Classic lobbies have a consistent role list with less randomness, which will help you learn the basics faster than Custom lobbies would. More new players tend to play in Classic rather than Custom, too.
Don't announce your role unless it's necessary. Keeping your identity hidden will help you survive with 97% of Salem's roles. Plus, if you're evil, giving your identity away is an obvious bad move.
If you're a townie, the Jailor is your friend. If you are hauled off to jail, telling them everything you know can only be beneficial to the town, and it helps convince the Jailor not to execute you. However, if you're not a townie, be prepared to lie!
If you play with a friend, do not share information outside of the game. This is the most prevalent form of cheating, and it is a bannable offense. Not only that, but it ruins the game for everyone else.
If you're in the Mafia, do not sell out the other Mafia members. This is game-throwing, and just like sharing information outside of the game, it ruins the game for everyone else and is bannable.
Meta tips
If, during the voting portion of the day, someone rapidly toggles their vote on someone off and on, that is the universal signal for "I am blackmailed." Though it can be faked, heed it as a warning that that player may not be able to speak.
"Spy tests" are a method to prove whether a Spy role claim is legitimate or not. By having someone whisper a number/word/short phrase to someone else, the person claiming to be a Spy will have also received the whisper if they're legit. If they read the whisper aloud, they are confirmed to be a Spy.
Glossary
Knowing the lingo thrown around in Town of Salem is vital to understanding what's happening in each game. The following list contains the most frequently used abbreviations in alphabetical order.
8331 = 8 town, 3 mafia, 3 neutrals, 1 any (refers to the role list when games are being set up)
Amn = Amnesiac
Arso = Arsonist
BG = Bodyguard
BM / BMer = Blackmailer
BMed / BM'd = Blackmailed
Consig = Consigliere
D# = Day # (where # is the day in question)
Doc = Doctor
Exe(c) = Executioner
GF = Godfather
Inno = Innocent
Invest = Investigator / investigate
Invested = Investigated
Jan = Janitor
Jest = Jester
Maf = Mafia
Med = Medium
N# = Night # (where # is the night in question)
NK = Neutral Killing
NS = Not suspicious
PM = Whisper (usually stands for private message, but means whisper in Salem's context)
RBed / RB'd = Roleblocked
Ret = Retributionist
SK = Serial Killer
Surv = Survivor
Sus(p) = Suspicious
TPed / TP'd = Transported
Trans / TP(er) = Transporter
Vet = Veteran
Vig = Vigilante
WW = Werewolf
Source: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=359528000
More Town of Salem guilds
- All Guilds
- [UPDATED FOR COVEN] All-Purpose Town of Salem Will Template
- When to shoot the revealed Mayor as Vigilante
- Investigator Results (Cheat Sheet)
- The Cheat Sheet
- Town of Salem - Town Traitor Role Guide
- Town of Salem - Ranked Practice Guide
- Town of Salem - When to Shoot the Revealed Mayor as Vigilante
- Town of Salem - List of Vet Baits
- Town of Salem - Jailed Serial Killer: Full Guide