USD ($)
EUR (€)
The most infamous witch hunts in the world comes to life in this game from Façade Games. A game of accusation, hidden traitors and havoc that will be familiar to anyone who has played the party games of werewolf, mafia or among us. Each player takes the role of a villager within the town of Salem 1692. There will also be a number of witches that the townsfolk must identify and eliminate before the witches do the same but with the ease of being able to murder townsfolk during the night phase. It is not a unique game in terms of mechanics but it does bring new ideas and a smooth action to the genre.
Mechanics
Each player has a role card which gives them a unique power. Some powerful, some subtle but almost always usable. They are also dealt five ‘tryal’ cards which detail their innocence. These cards are kept hidden except to their owner. Most of these cards state ‘not a witch’ with a minor number stating ‘witch’ instead which lets them know that they are the traitor. These is also a constable card that allows a player to protect another player from being murdered during the night. Gameplay then goes clockwise as each player chooses to draw or play cards. Cards allowing them to accuse and reveal the ‘tryal’ cards or apply other game altering effects such as tying two players fates together or discarding a player’s hand. This is where the meat of the gameplay comes into play as players begin to accuse and mess with each other in an attempt to find the witches.
So in a standard sized game of 6 players you will potentially have two witches. However, it is entirely possible for a player to receive both Witch cards and be the constable at the same time which adds a certain level of uncertainty that adds to the suspicion amongst the players. This is the first way that Salem stands out amongst the other similar games. The other is that the night phase is controlled by the deck. The bottom card of the deck will always trigger the night phase where the witches can bump off an innocent player. There is also a randomly shuffled in card that rotates an ‘tryal’ card clockwise from each player. This has the potential to create more witches, shuffle around the constable and even make a witch player seem completely innocent(If at any point you have a witch card then you are on the witches side for the remainder of the game). This acts as a sort of timer as the game favours the witches as the game persists. This can also make some very memorable moments where a witch may not realize that they are on the same side until the night phase and accidently or purposefully eliminate each other beforehand.
The final mechanic of note is the confession. Once the witches have nominated a player to be eliminated the nomination is kept secret until every player has had a chance to ‘confess.’ Which involves voluntarily revealing an ‘tryal’ card in exchange for immunity from the potential murder. A useful tool to protect yourself or make yourself appear innocent.
The Drawbacks
It can be a little chaotic and as with all games of this sort there is the potential for a very short game if certain conditions happen. For instance accusing the correct card in the first or second round on a double witch would cause the game to last around ten minutes. Although in personal experience most games last about an hour(with rules explanation and setup) and It is a very low chance of this happening. There are also a few edge cases that are not covered in the rulebook such as a few character powers interacting with each other. It also falls into the category of games that sound overly complex when explaining but then make perfect sense once the game has actually begun.
Visuals
The artwork is beautiful in Salem. The entire product has a solid design that permeates throughout. The box itself is styled to look like an old tome with weathered spine and golden embossing. This high quality is maintained within where each component has a nicely positioned slot in an inset. The two deck boxes feel unnecessary but are completely covered with thematic gothic artwork of black cats and haunting landscapes. It is clear that the theme was considered in every component of the design and it is very pleasing to see that the creators have put such a high level of quality and thought into their product. It is also the kind of product that stands out on a shelf with its unusual packaging and would look very much in-place alongside regular books. This has the added benefit of luring in unsuspecting gamers and it would work very well as a gateway game or at a casual party where games such as werewolf/mafia are best played.
Conclusion
Salem 1692 is a solid hidden traitor game that hits all the boxes required. It is fun to play, creates tense moments of high stakes and it easy enough to access for almost all skill levels and ages. It is also a very highly thematic product that appeals to the witchcore demographic. It does have a few minor faults but these can be made of any game with randomized traitors and are not wholly unique to Salem. It is a fantastic addition to any game collection and given how compact the box is it will sit nicely alongside many other games or even in a regular bookcase. It has created many very memorable moments in my gaming groups and has become a hit amongst us. So if you are a fan of any kind of traitor games then this is absolutely worth consideration as the high production values make it stand out amongst the other similar games.