I know a certain @branthog does, judging by his Steam activity.
Hah. Yeah, I didn't want to bother with the web version, so paid my $5 with no clue what the game would be about. Holy shit is it fun. A lot of times it can be frustrating, because it is hard to determine credibility and lies among strangers... but some times it is absolutely incredible when, for example, you are a jester and you make it to the end of the game... and then convince people to lynch you (the goal of the jester)... and then in your final blow (after you are lynched -- not murdered, but lynched by town vote, you get to kill someone the following night who previously voted GUILTY against you)... you vote to kill someone.. and it turns out to be the Godfather... who is the only bad guy left.. and you win the game.
In fact, my review on Steam is the currently top ranked one. I'll add it here, for anyone who is interested. This game is so worth $5 (but it's free on ad-based web version, too). I have played about 24hrs of it since it launched on Steam.
Steam review: http://steamcommunity.com/id/branthog/recommended/334230/
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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.
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