Accuse and defend your fellow townsfolk as you hunt down the witches of Salem. Act fast, before conspiracy turns you against your own. Play as john proctor, Mary warren, Tituba, and others. Salem is a strategic card game of deception built for 4-12 players, and is most suited for players aged 12-93. Estimated game time is 20-35 minutes. Game comes in antique-looking fake book box that can easily hide on your bookshelf. Successfully funded with $100k on Kickstarter in April 2015. Game contents: 1 faux book container 114 cards (15 town hall, 39 trial, 60 playing) 1 hourglass 1 manual (includes character biographies) 14 circle tokens players are given 3-5 trial cards which reveal the true identity of each player, "witch" or "not a witch." players then gather cards that they use to accuse or defend other players and to reveal their trial cards. Deciding who to trust is key to survival, since you can never play a card on yourself. Players can also use cards such as "stocks", "matchmaker", and "asylum" to hurt their enemies or help their allies. One card, "night", forces all players to close their eyes while the witches choose someone to eliminate. The other black card, "conspiracy," forces all players to inherit a trial card from another player. Killing witches quickly is essential, otherwise "conspiracy" may soon have the whole town turned evil. Before long, accusations will be flying, and screams of "she's a witch " will wake the neighbors. Will you be the hero who purges your town of witches, or will you be wrongly accused and hung for witchcraft? Or perhaps you will be a witch yourself, escape conviction, and bring Salem to the ground.
F**Y
game play was easy enough to figure out and everyone seemed to have ...
A while back a Kickstarter came out on party deception game called Salem, which takes us back to the Salem Witch Trials where the players are trying to find out who among them is a witch (or witches depending on the number of players). The game is designed to be played with 4 to 12 players, which allows it the flexibility to be a small group game or expand out to a party game, and at a price point of $19.99 I had to pick it up.Last night, we were able to play the game with 4 players and a moderator. With no one having any experience with playing, I thought that the game might be too difficult to pick up, but after a few rounds (even after having been drinking for a bit) the basics of the game became very clear. The gist of the game is simple- Gather Accuse cards, play them on other players to have them reveal if they are a witch, and do it quickly before the Night card comes and the witch kills off one of the townsfolk. In the end, the townsfolk are trying to find the witch and the witch is trying to kill off the townsfolk.Gameplay says that it last 20 to 35 minutes, but it probably took us 45 minutes because it was our first time through. In the end, game play was easy enough to figure out and everyone seemed to have a nice time with the game. The overall design of the game is beautiful and it comes in a faux antique looking book container (the packaging is really spot on and looks like a book when you put it on your shelf), and with the low-price point and flexibility of the game, I can easily see this game becoming a niche classic.Salem should appeal to gamers who enjoy other deception party games like Werewolf, and even history buffs, who may get a kick out of the fact that the 12 townsfolks cards are based on actual people from the Salem Witch Trials.Overall I enjoyed the game and cannot wait to play it again. Maybe the next time I will survie.
J**E
One Of The Best Hidden Role/Deduction Games
My favorite styles of board/card games are "hidden role/deduction" and "cooperative/team-based" games. I have many: Spyfall, Whoowasit, Betrayal at House on the Hill, Werewolf, Mafia, etc., and Salem is one of my favorites.This game does a fantastic job of combining:* The Werewolf/Mafia element of the day and night phases (during the night phase, people close their eyes and certain roles "wake up" before the day phase),* A cooperative/team element where the Puritans are all on the good team, and the witches are on the evil team, and* The "evil spreading" element from the movie, The Thing, and the board game, Panic Room, which is based on the movie "The Thing."Additionally, this game is balanced superbly...not something all team-based games can boast. My family recently played a game and the game came down to one (1) witch against (1) puritan, and the witch BARELY won!Gameplay is excellent. Our family was accusing everyone of being a witch...one was bluffing! Everyone was suspicious, and no one knew for sure who was who. Suspicion like this through the whole game is a true testament to the excellence of a game.The art on the cards is great and my family truly enjoyed reading about the history of the characters in this game (the characters are based on the real life trials of witches in Salem). Each character has a "special ability," which I also really like in hidden role/deduction games and cooperative games.One thing I want to point out: I consider Werewolf and Mafia to be a "light game," meaning that there isn't much strategy in those games as compared to others. This game has much more depth than Werewolf and Mafia.I will definitely be bringing this game to my game nights. Whether you are playing this with family or other gamers, I'm sure all will enjoy. And, if you are a hidden role/deduction game enthusiast, this game is a must.
M**L
A lot of fun once you play it
I had been wanting to buy a game for when my wife and I have company over. We both love the town of Salem, Mass. after we visited last summer. It's a really cool town to visit, and full of history. So when I found this it was an easy buy at its fairly low price.When it arrived, I read over the instructions and was really scratching my head. It just seemed convoluted. And I remembered reading a review either here or on the companies site that you have to play the game to really get it. So I read the instructions a couple more times to see if it clicked, and no.This past weekend we met some friends in Philly to see some sites and eat some cheesesteaks, and we brought the game along. The last two nights we've been here have been spent in the hotel lobby loving this game. That review was very correct. It just takes pulling the cards out, laying them out, and diving in to get it. We've all had a lot of fun seeing the sites of Philly by day, and visiting 1692 Salem at night.I highly recommend.
C**N
Great for big groups and takes a bit to pick up
#notyourdaddysboardgameGameplay: ever play Mafia or Murder in the Dark with your friends? Basically a complicated version of that. Werewolf is similar for comparison. Each person has a character, who has a certain "gift" that can be used during gameplay. Someone is the witch and can curse people. You accuse people to find the witch and people can "confess" multiple times....the instructions honestly are a little convoluted. Watch a play me or have someone who has played before teach you. I took off a star for that.Box and packaging: very small box that looks like a book. I love the art and the cards - the themeing is awesome.Players: 4-12 the more the betterDifficulty: Moderate to learn. Game flow can get pretty fast.Replay-ability: since it requires so many people, we don't get to play it often.
R**N
Really fun game, as long as you don't mind being called a witch :)
My friends and I love these social deduction games and have played many different types. Salem however adds a new spin to the standard, the different roles, randomly generated mean no 2 games are exactly the same. This combined with the mechanic allowing the number of witches to increase means that different tactics and approaches can be taken. Rounds are quick once you have got the hang of the game so if people are knocked out quickly they don't have to wait long for the next game.The othe rnice thing is that games of this type are ususally not as good with the lower number of players, I have played this with 4 and it is just as good as with the max 12.
L**.
Top game, hours of fun!
Bought this for my brother based on reviews and so glad I did.Our family love a game night and this game has quickly become a firm favourite.We literally spend hours playing!Always makes my day when I'm the witch but manage to last until the end of the game!Took a couple of play throughs to understand the rules fully but we were soon playing and couldn't stop. Highly recommend this game especially if you like games like the One Night Werewolf.Enjoy!
A**R
great for taking out
a very very good game for casual environments. My non-boardgaming freinds picked up the rules and objective within one game round, it's compact enough to transport in nearly any situation, the box is very neat and would actually blend in on a book shelf...The game itself can sit 13? players and is a good balance of luck and ability.
A**N
Great game!
I bought this for my friend’s birthday and she absolutely loved it.We played three rounds consecutively, which were excellent. Such a fun game!
T**R
Great fun, Took few games to get used to ...
Great fun,Took few games to get used to multiple rules. Being a witch is less stressful than mafia, but the gameplay is more complicated.Maybe they should include more save and kill tokens. We lost the save token on the first day and had to scribble on a blank one.
