Salem 1692 Board Game

I love this game.Of all the "Mafia" and "Werewolf" style games, this one is my absolute favorite of the bunch, and the one I keep pulling out on game nights.Salem fixes the issues plaguing most of the "social deduction" games. For most games of this style, players have minimal actions they can actually take, hobbling strategy; the way clues and data are gathered is extremely limited, sometimes relegated to people saying if they're innocent or not; games last under 10 minutes; and deciding who to kill devolves into a loud, messy argument that drags out into a really boring shouting match.Salem's unique game mechanics resolve these.During the normal play phase, which last several rounds between Night phases, players must use cards to lay curses, accusations, and offer assistance to their fellow players, increasing the interaction and forcing them to create alliances and make enemies since no one is allowed to play cards on themselves. As accusation cards build up against a player, they must undergo Tryals, flipping over one of their 5 reveal cards to see if they confess to witchcraft. Rather than 1 reveal card like in most games, each player can undergo 5 Tryals before dying of the torture, and only one of which may be the Witch. This extends the gameplay time and leads to additional information as you wonder if someone with 1 or 2 Tryals left is still a Witch, just with good luck, or if you got it wrong and they're innocent.Each player's character is a true, historical person involved in the Salem Witch Trials, and each has a unique ability or skill they can use during play, again increasing what you're able to do in the game.After each Night phase, but before it's revealed who the Witches killed, players have the chance to confess and sacrifice a Tryal card if they think they were the one chosen, saving themselves and allowing them to stay in the game just a little bit longer.Pros:Production quality is good. The little book storage box is charming and larger than the first edition, making it easier to fit everything. Some small kinks in the first edition are smoothed out and resolved in this one. The game is suitable for very large groups (up to 12), lasts in the 20-30 minute range, is very replayable, and allows for strategy.Cons:Because the box looks like a book, I keep losing it. The instructions are more complicated than the average social deduction game, and it may take a little longer to explain gameplay. The instruction booklet is not the clearest. It does need a lot of players, and is less fun and functional with with minimum number of people.

This game is great. I'm not a big game person or one who enjoys spending an hour plus learning a new game, but this one was too much fun.I would say this game has a steep learning curve with a quick drop-off. It takes a little time to learn and then two games in you're tossing accusations and trying to prove your innocence. I like the added ability for the witches side to spread. The art and quality of the pieces art great.**The only thing I would really like (and this goes for most games), I would love if these games had videos online that explained the rules and showed a playthrough. I had to watch a couple independent videos to get the rules down.

I am a board game enthusiast and I purchased this game thinking, "Well, maybe my girlfriend's sister-in-law might like this and if I can get her on my side then maybe some other family members will want to play a game or two with me over Christmas." BOY WAS I WRONG. After the first game there was nothing but yelling, screaming, betrayal, and resounding cries of, "SHE'S A WITCH!!!" It was such a hit that everyone in the family elected to play this game in lieu of their family's go to favorites. I can't believe I found such a great game for a great price. I am very thankful for Facade Games for this unique experience.My Advice: Play with as a moderator your first game and study the rules. During the Dawn and Night phases - play some spooky music on a phone and move the phone around players heads. Walk around the room to throw players off. We also played in the dark with candles light. I hope everyone who purchases this has as much of a blast as my group of 8 did. One more thing, don't forget that, "SHE'S A WITCH!!!!"

We have all 3 of Facade's Dark Cities series games, and Salem is the overall favorite. Facade does a great job of creating games that never play the same twice. Great mechanics, beautiful artwork, and hilarious player interactions. I love how the game's outcome can never be predicted. One word of advice on Salem--during the "night" phase of the game, all players should stomp their feet until told to open their eyes. This gives the witches the ability to do their thing without being heard (and you'll burn a few calories, so--hey, it's also a health game!). This one is certainly more fun with more players.

Looks great but a horrible mess.of a game.