THIS GUIDE WILL NEVER BE FINISHED

So, If you've selected this guide, I'll go out on a limb and assume you have Town of Salem. I will also assume you've come here for help. Well then, allow me to help you learn about what to do in Town of Salem, regardless of if you are town, a mafia, or another role entirely.

First of all, i shall add a note here that there is no strategy that will always work for a role, and this goes for EVERY role. Even the best mafia composition with a great team can still have a bad day at the office and fail spectacularly, and even a single arsonist can win with the game changing help of a jester. Both have happened in games i played. As you will see below, the former i have screenshots of, but the latter i have not.



I will use some examples of occassional plays which coexist with a strategy or point i make, but these won't be common, at least until they happen again and I add them later on.

And so, let us begin with the town roles.

So, as you all likely well know, you are placed into a pre game lobby with up to 14 other people who you will play with, though in practice its usually down to 10 by the time you wake up to your first full day. The lobby allows for you to chat, declare your theme choice and repick like the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ you secretly are.

Your Name and Your Lifeline

And then, you can choose a name. remember, this name is VERY IMPORTIANT. You go with a forgettable name, you might get picked off quickly or you may well get away with it, but your info is more likely to go ignored. If you go with a name like 'Justin Beiber' You'll be dead inside two nights most of the time, regardless of your role. If you go with a name like 'LiterallyAnyone' - My ususal name - You may have some results which are somewhat of a middle ground.

On top of this, your name may also provide a lifeline to the townies if you are evil, and your name lacking Capitals and a death note which writes in the same style may well lead to a person getting you with little or no other evidence - See the example Pics.


That guess got me the only mafia in the game. Even without having an investigative role, you can still work things out with some name to note to style refrencing. So, be careful on how you name yourself.

The Cycles

What cycles? WHat do you mean? Well, that is probably what you first thought when you saw this area's title, and i shall tell you. The cycles are common strategies which vary in sucess based on time since it last had widespread success.

The Night 1 Cycle

You'll know about this. This is when Vetrerans loudly make themselves a target and sometimes succeed and sometimes fail. It cycles around and you should be wary of when Vets are getting lucky with thier shots.

The Jester Voting Cycle

Sometimes, a jester will vote the opposite to what the town would vote. Sometimes, people actually act on it. Sometimes, they don't.as random as the responses can be, its a prime way for a mafia to exploit the game and become a suspected jester, and an ignored person....

Being the larget role 'pool' As it were, you'd think the town would have some diverse help to call on and smash the evil roles with ease, but you'd be wrong. A town team operates like half the people in your game all trying to screw in a lightbulb, where some are overly enthusiastic to help while others sit on the sidelines and complain whenever they get looked at for not helping. Your town is a small fire in a damp forest, you can kindle the fire, but it can snuff out again JUST as easily.

But then, i assume you ask why I'm portraying the town like a confusing fustercluck, so let me explain.

First of all, why is the town as delicate as it is?

Well, thats a broad question with plenty of ways to explain it. I'd personally favour how easy it is for the mafia to infiltrate the town and pull the strings without investigator roles acting like a Warhammer 40K inquisition on everybody who even looks like they might reatiliate the next night, but thats only one way things can fall apart. So, I'll explain a few more.

Number 1: Absense of (Possibly Skilled) role groups

Some will know this well. A Mayor reveals day 1 and asks for any aid at all, and he ends up dying with nobody aiding him. Example Pic inbound.


In that example, i died yet a Bodyguard and two lookouts existed. All of them died at least a day after me. Some may attribute that down to competence, and you may be right. But, they may have also not seen the reveal text, thought someone else could do it, thought that i would not die, got roleblocked, jailed, were afk or for any other reason you can think of.

Some people are poor with some roles; They may have not yet learned to play them. But, this could also be a ton of other things.

Following on, an absense of the role group entirely can cause a LOT of issues. For example, a game with no living Lookouts, Investigators, Sheriffs or Jailors can spell disaster for the town because they are without a way to validate most role claims.

"Who is to say that investgator isn't a consigliere? He seems awfully quick to judge the evils."

"I don't know man, but that sheriff who got mauled four nights ago would have known. That 'Investigator' was his last target labelled in his will."

While this is an example of when you cant identify roles, without over role sets games can be fatal too. protectives cant save importiant roles, Killing roles cant meet the mafia blow for blow every night, support roles can't sacrifice to find the Serial Killer and so on.

Number 2: Can you confirm?

Some roles are guilty until proven innocent. Some roles can be confirmed there and then, some cannot. Without a vig kill a vigilante has a lot of doubt to clear up and its an uphill struggle to prove yourself as a killing role.

Investigator

You are the backbone of the town's investigations. Because of this, you need to know who to look at every night. Now, your initial investigative startegy is your choice, i mean, you might go by the number list, or the most stand out names. But one thing you always have to do is make the town aware of what you were doing every night in your will. Being in investigator just adds to this.

My Preferred Strategy: I always begin with the strategy to Investigate someone either side of myself. Gernerally, investigations should be based on possible lynch targets and the silent maj/minority the game posses.

NEW INFO Sheriff

His balance only really exists in classical. Anywhere else and he can be the towns saviour to utterly useless. He finds some killing roles but the Godfather, for example, goes unknown to him.

NEW INFO Lookout

Much like the sheriff, but more useful and a lot more luck based. Maybe you'll find the SK, maybe you'll find the escort. Maybe you'll find the wereworlf, die and never be able to inform the town.

Spy


Jailor

Arguably the most powerful town role at night, the Jailor has a lot of power as he acts as a immune breaking vigilante, an escort and a doctor all in one.

NEW INFO Vigilante

Shoot peeps errday. You can shoot Vampires, most mafia, Jesters, Survivors, all the town and witch and amnesiac, and thats about it. Actually, thats a lot of roles.... problem is, whenever someone is riding the suspicion train you often find you can't kill them, or they end up innocent thanks to lynch targets or misinformation. Your role is thankless until it suddenly is, that is to say when you get lucky.

Expect to die, and to be lynched. Your job is a sad one, and you'll feel it.

Veteran


NEW INFO Mayor

Somebody ordered someone powerful to get the job done? Well, you can! At day at least.

Medium

You probably hate this role with a passion... But i love it. Even if you do a bad job and end up with the medium's curse, you can still act and save a life! Don't leave and condemn the town to further failure; Success is still possible.


Preferred Strategy: Cheat that Mediums curse and show it you don't care by challenging it on the first day. Be ready to reveal at your first sucessful info gathering, because that mediums curse will haunt you as soon as it is able too. Playing the fearless medium is really the only choice for those who fear the ever prepared blades, claws and matchsticks of the game, so be ready to use your info and your seance before you confine another game to the failiure bin.

Retributionst


Transporter

This role... It wins 1v1 scenarios with near every killing role, so blundering late game is a shockingly feasible option. I'll give you a no screenshot example:

Six players remain. A Transporter, Lookout, Bodyguard, Vigilante, Disguiser and Mafioso. The Lookout, Transporter and Bodyguard have been known for some time. The next night, the mafioso and disguiser target the poor Bodyguard, but the Lookout sees the whole thing. The next day, the lookout cries out to lynch them, but the transporter (in a wave of eye brow raising stupid) lynches the Lookout, despite him having proved his role and having a hand in two mafia and one werewolf kill. votes up the lookout with the mafia and the lookout is hanged.

The next night, the mafia target the transporter, forgetting he is transporter oddly. the trans leads to the death of the mafioso, and the new mafioso and the trans vote off the vig for being afk and above all, alive. Then, the trans wins. Everyone mentioned that was active but the Lookout and Bodyguard are confused. They explain why the town wins but the mafia are still confused.

Now, I'm about to spark name racism here, but the Lookout, Bodyguard, Original Mafioso and Vig all had caps names. The trans and disguiser had lower case. In this story, the trans, disguiser and mafioso display some amazing stupidity, as if they had only just started playing. Lower case names are used by stupider players? Thats the racist opinion i now have, all because the town blundered to victory here.

Anyways, you have some sheer ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ which relies on a lot of things, you guessing a good killing target, and one of the killers or thier ilk. When you do, you can pull some sunglasses out of your ever changing transport possibility plot device and in true 40k fashion pull a Just as Planned[1d4chan.org]. Believe me, you can be helpful, but you may need to hold off as first.

NEW INFO Escort

FOR GODS SAKE WRITE A WILL! You can lynch the Serial Killer AND Werewolf from dumb luck if you visit at night and write who you went after.

As the only group who know each other right off the bat, the mafia have the bonus of being able to communicate alone and safe in the knowledge that they can secretly work together, but they start in a town which vastly outnumbers them most of the time. Due to this, it will take some luck and some skill to off the town successfully.

Godfather


Mafioso


NEW INFO Framer

Why AREN'T you using your role as a lynch proof shield? Its so decpetively simple! If someone claims you are mafia, start with the following question:

Have you looked at me multiple nights? Y/N? (If its the first day, ignore this and start the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥)

If the answer is no, then you have an amazing way to throw the heat off of yourself and waste the time of the town. Explain to them (Agressively if you think you can get away with it) that Framers can mess with your results and this is why you should investigate two nights in a row, otherwise you may lynch an innocent. Then, if they claim they'll do it again, you can keep on teh pressure by saying that now the framer will not stop framing your ass until you're on the stands with a noose around your neck. This can buy you and has bought me vaulable days for my mafia friends.

My preferred strategy: Keep framing the same target for a couple of nights before moving on. You get a nice chance to throw the heat off of yourself and maybe have a shield to protect yourself too.


NEW INFO Consigliere

You got the exact role of everybody just a click away. You could check low profile targets because they may be killers or neutrals you can work with, or you might check high profile targets to know the exact people that are leading the town and who to wipe clean.

Disguiser


Janitor


Blackmailer


Consort


Forger

You have a lot to play with here. A lot to love, and a lot to hate. These Strategies are very diverse....



Amnesiac

Now, i can't really tell you much about this role. You just need to live then move to the team that you want to join, which usually means the team that is winning.

Remember, unique roles like the Jailor, Mayor, Godfather, Mafioso, Werewolf, Veteran and Retrebutionist are not options for you. If you want to join the mafia, then you join not as a killing role.

Prefered Strategy: Don't bother speaking for the first round or two. If you do, make sure you aren't made a target. Play the game as if you are a survivor and just try to live until you can make it to a point where you can choose a role you like.

Arsonist

You are the one role that can kill multiple people in one night, but not without preperation. You should pick your targets wisely, as your guaranteed kill ignite will wipe anyone you've doused, and you dont want to douse the wrong people.

Preferred Strategy: Look for those who seem quiet if no neutrals you can work with exist. Ignore Survivors, Jesters, Exeutioners and Amnesiacs unless they seem to be giving you trouble, and make sure they know you've avoided killing them if it comes down to a deadlock.

Survivor


Executioner

Okay. You got a townie as a target, a night immunity to perform it, and a way to kill off the target through lies and a will.

My preferred strategy: claim a role in your will, i prefer Sheriff and write up a fake will with at least 2 nights of calling your target mafia. It can be that simple if you can push it. Call out either deads or alive people as good (Or a call a dead person mafia to debunk a framer a night if you wanna) but make sure that your target is shown to be mafia. Start calling the townie out, show the will if needed.

Jester


NEW INFO Witch

I LOVE this role. Done right, you can have SO much fun! Yet most hate it. Again, nobody will know who you are unless you LET them know who you are. Use it to your advantage where you can. However, be ready to die if more then one killing role exists, or you neglect teaming with mafia. THE KILLERS OF SALEM WOULD SACRIFICE YOU IN A HEARTBEAT IF IT MEANS WINNING OR STAYING ALIVE.

Werewolf


Serial Killer


NEW INFO Vampire

Still getting to grips with this one, but I get the idea. You'll be biting every second night, assuming you aren't making a mass grave of bretheren or your bite victim was immune. remember, Mafia and roles with permanant night immunity are not going to be converted. The Vampire Hunter, Jailing (and doctors?) will stop your bite, and in the Hunter's case kill you as well.