Town of Salem is an online multiplayer game derived from the table-top party game “Werewolf” (Dutch: “Weerwolven van Wakkerdam“. It is a game in which the players perform a role-play, have to think strategically, have to lie to each other and have to work together.

Rules
Players are secretly assigned roles, which determine their goal for the game, belonging to teams of an informed villainous minority and uninformed innocent majority, the townspeople. Both teams need to eliminate the other for control of the town. The main strategy is to survive and accomplish win conditions. Players may use abilities unique to and depending on their role, have to work together, communicate, deduct and deceive others to obtain victory.

Gameplay
The game has two alternating phases: A night-phase, during which those with roles that have killing capabilities, may secretly kill other players, and a day-phase, in which all surviving players debate and vote to eliminate a suspect. For the village, this usually means eliminating all villains, while for the villainous minority, this usually means remaining undiscovered while eliminating the townspeople and any rival villains. Before they die, all players have the opportunity to write their last will, and only villainous roles can write up death notes. Death notes are notes that villains can leave as a taunt. Last wills are notes that players can leave behind after they die. During the day, the wills of players that died the previous night are revealed. Then, players use what they have learned to accuse someone of being evil. If that player is found guilty, they are publicly lynched and their will is revealed. The game continues, alternating between day and night, until a team achieves its goal.