Town of Salem is an online game created by BlankMediaGames, which is similar to the popular party games Mafia and Werewolf.
Gameplay
The game is set in Salem and progresses in a day/night cycle. At the start of the game, each player will get one of the various roles, which are split into multiple teams. The goal of each team is to kill or lynch all members of the other teams. Each role may have abilities which are commonly used during the night or attributes which have passive effects. The Town normally has the most team members with a great variety of roles. The Mafia and Vampires have fewer members, but know their teammates and can speak with them at night. Neutral Killing roles rarely have any teammates, but are immune to regular attacks. Other Neutral roles may have special goals, allowing them to team up with anyone to win. Depending on their role, a player may need persuasiveness, deception, intuition, logic or luck to win.
Currently, the game can be played in eight different game modes:
- Classic Mode has a specific set of roles with little variance (9 Town, 3 Mafia, 3 Neutral).
- Ranked Mode allows for competitive gameplay. The role list is more varied than Classic, but still balanced (8 Town, 3 Mafia, 3 Neutral, 1 Any). Playing this mode requires players to have finished at least 50 games, 10 of those being Ranked Practice.
- Ranked Practice very similar to Ranked, however, you must have 10 games played of it to play Ranked. The role list is the same, and winning or losing does not change your Elo. You may join the game using a party and will know the usernames of your fellow players before the game, unlike Ranked.
- Custom Mode allows the host to set whichever roles they want to include in the game.
- Rapid Mode is the same as Custom Mode, but the day/night phases are much shorter. This allows less time to plan an action or discuss information.
- All Any Mode contains only Any in the role list, which is almost completely random.
- Vigilantics Mode consists of only of Vigilantes and Witches. Vigilantes can shoot other players and Witches can force Vigilantes to shoot who they want, resulting in short games.
- Rainbow Mode has a fixed role list which looks like a rainbow. There are fewer Town members than in other modes.
Development and Release
BlankMediaGames, or BMG for short, is the company that made Town of Salem, which is currently their only created game.
BlankMediaGames was founded in February 2014. They are a small team of game enthusiasts that consist of five programmers, one community manager, and two artists (one focusing on UI and avatars, the other on backgrounds and houses). They are spread across the globe but united by their passion for gaming.
Company Staff
- PyromonkeyGG - Programmer/Co-Founder
- Achilles - Programmer/Founder
- DoxExer - Programmer
- yaxamie - Programmer
- rickms - Programmer
- shapesifter13 - Community Manager
Game/Forum Staff
- TurdPile - Administrator
- Arckas - Global Moderator
- enderitem - Global Moderator
- Jerme - Global Moderator
- M4xwell - Global Moderator
- Naru2008 - Global Moderator
- shelboo - Global Moderator
- SpellChecker - Global Moderator
Links
- About Us
- Social
Editions
Town of Salem may be played in a few different ways.
The browser version is free and can be played at www.blankmediagames.com/TownOfSalem.
Occasionally, the Public Test Realm server will be available, which includes new additions and changes to the game. Anyone with an account can play on this server when it's open at http://www.blankmediagames.com/TownOfSalem/PublicTestRealm. (Note: If you're having issues connecting to the PTR server, this is either due to it being down, or set to staff-only.)
The Steam version costs $4.99 USD and comes with a few perks:
- Exclusive Steambot3000 Avatar
- 2000 Town Points
- 100% Bonus Merit Points forever
- Players who have connected their account to the Steam version will always gain two times the amount of Merit Points.
- Players will receive this bonus, even if playing on the browser version or mobile version.
- No third party advertisements
- One click login
- Faster load times
- Steam achievements
The mobile version is free and is strictly for tablets. It was officially released for Android tablets on May 12th of 2016. The iOS app is currently only available in Australia.
At this current point in time, mobile users may only play with other mobile users. However, they may freely message others who are playing on different devices.
Frequently Asked Questions
Gameplay
- My in-game results came up incorrect. Why is this?
This may be because a Framer had framed your target, a Witch had controlled you to visit a different player, or a Transporter had swapped your target with a different player. - My night action did not go through and I was not role blocked. What happened?
You may have selected your action too close to when the night had ended and a result, the server wasn't able to register your action. It is advised to select your target(s) with at least 8 seconds to spare in the night, depending on your connection. - I see some terms and abbreviations which I am not familiar with. What do they mean?
A list of abbreviations may be found on the Glossary of Abbreviations page. - Why am I unable to use the < symbol?
That symbol is used for code which can break the chat, so it is disabled. - A Jester was hanged and someone who did not vote guilty was found dead from the Jester's haunt. What happened?
A Transporter transported the Jester's guilt onto another player. This is intentional and is not a bug.
General
- I have a suggestion. Where may I share it?
If it is a suggestion to change a role or if you have a role you would like to see in the game, you may post in the Role Ideas section in the forums. All other suggestions may simply go in the Suggestions section. - How can I change my username?
You may log into the game and go to the "Shop". By selecting "Account", you are given the option to change your username for $4.99 USD. - I've forgotten my password. How do I retrieve that information?
Upon entering incorrect login information, a link will display: "Forgot your Password?" - Follow the instructions provided in the link. - How can I change my password?
You will need to log into the forums to do this. The steps may be found here. - Is it against the rules to ask for attributes or abilities from a player?
It is not against the rules to ask a player to read information off of a role card, though it is greatly frowned upon by the community and staff. It is also not against the rules to refuse to read off of a role card. This strategy is ineffective for experienced players, and is unfair towards newer players. The common term players use for this strategy is known as "meta-gaming". More rules may be found on the Town of Salem Rules page. - Will there be more roles and cosmetics coming out?
Yes, the staff plan to continue releasing new content. - How can I become a Global Moderator for the game?
Refer to this post. If you are not active on the forums, that would be the best place to start. Be active, helpful, approachable, and do not ask for a promotion.
Technical Issues
- I think I have found a bug. Where can I go to report this?
If you are playing on the browser version, you may post in the Bug Reports section in the forums. If you are playing the Steam version, you may post in the Steam Bug Reports section. Lastly, if you are playing on a tablet, you may post in the Mobile Bug Reports section. - My game sometimes freezes/crashes. Why is this?
This is often a result of the player losing connection. It is recommended to try stabilizing your internet connection by going closer to your router or by plugging in an ethernet cable if applicable. - I am experiencing visual issues and I am seeing strange things on my game's screen. How do I fix this? (Example)
You need to clear your cache. It is advisable to at least clear the browser's cache any time there is a new patch out. If that doesn't fix the issue, you may need to also clear your Flash's cache.
Clearing Browser Cache: http://www.wikihow.com/Clear-Your-Browser's-Cache
Clearing Flash Cache: https://forums.adobe.com/message/4278569
Verifying Integrity of Game Cache for Steam Users: https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=2037-QEUH-3335 - I have a friend who has referred me, but my count did not go up. Why?
Your friend must make a real life currency purchase in order to activate the count. (More information) - I have purchased the Steam version but did not receive my 2000 Town Points. How do I receive them?
When logging in on the game you must do the following:- Click the 'Login with Steam' button.
- Click the 'Link Account' button to link an existing TOWN OF SALEM account or click 'Create Account' to create a new account.
- After logging in with the Steam button (using the information about your TOWN OF SALEM account, not your Steam account), you will be rewarded with your 1300 Town Points.
- I play Ranked mode and I notice that my loss counter is incorrect. Why is this?
The exact cause of this is not known, but BMG is aware of the issue. - What does "Server Restart" mean?
The game will be unavailable for a short amount of time starting in a few minutes. This is occasionally done to perform maintenance.
Example of a server restart
Trivia
- All of the names that are randomly selected for the player if no name is chosen were actual people from the real Salem witch trials of 1692.
- For a short period of time in May, 2016, it was possible to change usernames for 5.00 U.S.D, and while this feature was removed, it was then reinstated in the 1.5 update.
- BlankMediaGames attempted pushing out Town of Salem in 2013 by using Kickstarter. The goal was to achieve $20,000. Unfortunately, the Kickstarter project was unsuccessful with 63 backers and $1,375 pledged. It was advertised on Starcraft II Mafia's website.