SALEM 1692: FORUM MAFIA EDITION (9-PLAYER SETUP)
Welcome to Salem. In this game of deception, accusation, and paranoia, a hidden coven of Witches is attempting to convert or kill the entire town. Will the Town expose the hidden evil, or will the Coven consume Salem entirely?
Please read these rules carefully before the game begins.
SETUP & ALIGNMENTS
- The Player Count: 9 Players.
- The Starting Division: 2 Witches vs. 7 Town Members.
- Role Cards: (Not used for the first game) Each player receives a unique character role card.
- Tryal Cards: Five hidden Tryal cards are dealt to each player at the start of the game to determine your initial alignment (2 Witches, 1 Constable, and 42 "Not a Witch" cards total). These cards are the 5 "lives" you have in the game.
WIN CONDITIONS
- The Town wins the moment both Witch cards have been revealed, regardless of how many live players are left.
- The Witches win when every single player remaining alive in the game is a Witch (the Town has been entirely eliminated or corrupted).
COVEN INITIATION & ALIGNMENT RULES
- Initiation: If a player receives a Witch Tryal card (either dealt at the start of the game or handed to them secretly by the Moderator during a Conspiracy redistribution), they are instantly initiated into the Coven. They secretly change alignments and become a Witch.
- Coven Growth: When a new Witch is embraced by the coven, all old Witches stay Witches. The newly initiated Witch is added to the Night Chat by the Moderator.
- Once a Witch, Always a Witch: A player's alignment cannot change back to Town. Once a player has undergone initiation into the coven, they are locked into the Witches' win condition for the remainder of the game.
ACCUSATION THRESHOLD & FLIPPING MECHANICS
Every player has a running total of accusation marks. The moment a player accumulates 7 or more marks, the threshold is reached and one of their tryal cards is revealed. The player who places the 7th mark has the right to flip over one of that player's Tryal cards. The player who dealt the final blow must immediately declare in the public thread which specific hidden Tryal card of that player they want flipped (e.g., "Reveal PlayerX's 3rd card"
. If not done in a timely manner the moderator will flip one randomly.
The reveal: The Moderator will publicly reveal that specific card.
- If the card is "Not a Witch" or the "Constable," the card remains face up, the player's accusation marks are reset to 0, and they continue playing. If it is the "Constable" card, the Constable role is lost for the game.
- If a "Witch" card is revealed, the player is instantly exposed as having been corrupted, and they are immediately executed and removed from the game.
- Total Elimination: If a player ever has all 5 of their hidden Tryal cards revealed, they are immediately eliminated from the game.
GAME CYCLES & PHASES
Dawn Phase (Day 1 Only)
- The Black Cat: The Witches collectively choose one player to receive the Black Cat before the game officially begins. The Witches may choose to play the Black Cat on one of the Witches.
Day Phase (24 Hours)
- Public Forum: All open discussion, arguments, and card plays take place publicly in the main thread.
- Daily Hand Mechanics: A new hand of cards is dealt to every player at the start of each Day. Cards must be played during the Day or they are lost when Night falls.
- Random Conspiracy Phase: The Moderator will trigger a surprise Conspiracy Phase at a random time during the Day.
Night Phase (24 Hours)
- Witch Action: Witches coordinate in secret to choose a town member to kill.
- Constable Action: The Constable chooses one player to protect from the night kill.
- Player Confession: Any player may choose to confess by the end of the night. They will be safe from the Witch killing for that night, but they must immediately reveal one of their own hidden Tryal cards. If the Constable chooses to save them, that player will not have to confess, but they will not know until the day phase that they were saved.
- Group Chats: Private group chats are initiated for that night.
PRIVATE COMMUNICATION RULES
To keep information flowing but controlled, private group chats operate under the Chat Initiation Limit:
- Creation Limit: Each player can open/create a maximum of 2 private chats.
- The MOD will be included in each chat as well.
- Participation Limit: There is no limit to how many chats a player can join (you can be invited to any number of chats opened by others).
- Player Cap per Chat: Each individual chat can contain a maximum of 3 live players total.
- Dead Players: Dead players may be included in chats, but they must not speak.
- Exceptions: The Moderator (@Mod) and any number of dead players do not count toward the 3-live-player limit in any chat.
The Witch Chat
- The Witches have a dedicated private chat that does not count toward their 2-chat creation limit or participation limits.
- This chat is only active during the 24-hour Night Phase. It goes dark during the Day.
- Dead Witches Stay: Dead Witches retain full access to this channel so they can continue to watch and participate in the coven's secret coordination until the game concludes.
- Unanimous Execution: The living Witches must agree unanimously on their target for the night kill. If the living coven fails to reach a 100% consensus before the Night Phase ends, no kill occurs.
CUSTOM CONSPIRACY MECHANICS
When the Moderator triggers the surprise Conspiracy Phase during the Day, the following actions occur immediately:
- Cat Scratch: The player currently holding the Black Cat card randomly reveals one of their hidden Tryal cards.
- The Shift: All live players select 1 Tryal card to take from the player sitting "before" them in the player order (if a player does not choose within a timely manner, the Mod will pick randomly).
- The Redistribution: The Moderator collects all of these claimed Tryal cards and redistributes them completely at random among the players.
- If you receive a Witch card, you are now a Witch. If you lose a Witch card, you are still a Witch.
- If you receive the "Constable" card, you are now the Constable. If you lose the "Constable" card, you ARE NO LONGER the Constable.
THE DAILY PLAY DECK (57 CARDS)
Red (Attack) Cards (41 Cards)
These cards add marks toward a player's tryal threshold of 7 marks. Once 7 marks are accumulated, the cards are sent to the discard pile and recycled through the deck as they are available.
- 35x Accusation: Places 1 mark toward a Tryal on a player. (Note: Quantity starts at 35 and scales down as players die—see the Mod Scaling Table below).
- 5x Evidence: Places 3 marks toward a Tryal on a player.
- 1x Witness: Places 7 marks toward a Tryal on a player.
Green (Action) Cards (11 Cards)
These cards are played for immediate effects, resolved publicly in the thread, and then sent to the discard pile. They are recycled through the deck every day.
- 3x Alibi: Discard up to three accusations that are currently in front of another player.
- 1x Arson: Discards half of that player's cards.
- 1x Curse: Discard one blue card that is currently in front of another player.
- 1x Robbery: Takes half of the cards from one player and gives them to another player.
- 2x Scapegoat: Take all blue, green and red cards in front of any other player and place them in front of another player.
- 3x Stocks: Freezes a player, preventing them from acting for 1/4 of the remaining time in the current Day phase.
Blue (Permanent) Cards (5 Cards)
These cards are played face up in front of a player and remain active as long-term status effects. They are never discarded upon use. Instead, they remain in play and can be moved from player to player via Scapegoat. They leave play only when discarded by a Curse or when the player holding them is killed. Once removed from a player by these means, they are sent back into the deck to be drawn and played again.
- 1x Black Cat: When the CONSPIRACY is triggered, the mod will randomly reveal one TRYAL card belonging to the player with the Black Cat.
- 1x Asylum: The player who is given Asylum can not be killed during the Night.
- 2x Matchmaker: When two players have Matchmaker in front of them, if one dies, the other dies as well.
- 1x Piety: Prevents all Red (Attack) cards from being played directly on the player holding it. However, existing Red cards on other players can still be moved onto the Piety holder via Scapegoat.
Equal Hand Adjustment: Before dealing, the Moderator will add or remove 1-Mark Accusation cards as needed so that all surviving players receive an equal number of cards.
MODERATOR DECK SCALING TABLE
To keep hand sizes manageable as the town thins out in a 9-player setup, the Moderator will pull standard Accusation cards from the deck pool at the start of a new day based on the number of surviving players:
Live Players: 9 to 7 | Accusation Cards in Deck: 35 cards | Action: Starting Deck Size
Live Players: 6 to 5 | Accusation Cards in Deck: 25 cards | Action: Remove 10 Accusations
Live Players: 4 or fewer | Accusation Cards in Deck: 15 cards | Action: Remove 20 Accusations total
SALEM 1692: FORUM MAFIA EDITION (9-PLAYER SETUP)
Welcome to Salem. In this game of deception, accusation, and paranoia, a hidden coven of Witches is attempting to convert or kill the entire town. Will the Town expose the hidden evil, or will the Coven consume Salem entirely?
Please read these rules carefully before the game begins.
SETUP & ALIGNMENTS
- The Player Count: 9 Players.
- The Starting Division: 2 Witches vs. 7 Town Members.
- Role Cards: (Not used for the first game) Each player receives a unique character role card.
- Tryal Cards: Five hidden Tryal cards are dealt to each player at the start of the game to determine your initial alignment (2 Witches, 1 Constable, and 42 "Not a Witch" cards total). These cards are the 5 "lives" you have in the game.
WIN CONDITIONS
- The Town wins the moment both Witch cards have been revealed, regardless of how many live players are left.
- The Witches win when every single player remaining alive in the game is a Witch (the Town has been entirely eliminated or corrupted).
COVEN INITIATION & ALIGNMENT RULES
- Initiation: If a player receives a Witch Tryal card (either dealt at the start of the game or handed to them secretly by the Moderator during a Conspiracy redistribution), they are instantly initiated into the Coven. They secretly change alignments and become a Witch.
- Coven Growth: When a new Witch is embraced by the coven, all old Witches stay Witches. The newly initiated Witch is added to the Night Chat by the Moderator.
- Once a Witch, Always a Witch: A player's alignment cannot change back to Town. Once a player has undergone initiation into the coven, they are locked into the Witches' win condition for the remainder of the game.
ACCUSATION THRESHOLD & FLIPPING MECHANICS
Every player has a running total of accusation marks. The moment a player accumulates 7 or more marks, the threshold is reached and one of their tryal cards is revealed. The player who places the 7th mark has the right to flip over one of that player's Tryal cards. The player who dealt the final blow must immediately declare in the public thread which specific hidden Tryal card of that player they want flipped (e.g., "Reveal PlayerX's 3rd card"). If not done in a timely manner the moderator will flip one randomly.
The reveal: The Moderator will publicly reveal that specific card.
- If the card is "Not a Witch" or the "Constable," the card remains face up, the player's accusation marks are reset to 0, and they continue playing. If it is the "Constable" card, the Constable role is lost for the game.
- If a "Witch" card is revealed, the player is instantly exposed as having been corrupted, and they are immediately executed and removed from the game.
- Total Elimination: If a player ever has all 5 of their hidden Tryal cards revealed, they are immediately eliminated from the game.
GAME CYCLES & PHASES
Dawn Phase (Day 1 Only)
- The Black Cat: The Witches collectively choose one player to receive the Black Cat before the game officially begins. The Witches may choose to play the Black Cat on one of the Witches.
Day Phase (24 Hours)
- Public Forum: All open discussion, arguments, and card plays take place publicly in the main thread.
- Daily Hand Mechanics: A new hand of cards is dealt to every player at the start of each Day. Cards must be played during the Day or they are lost when Night falls.
- Random Conspiracy Phase: The Moderator will trigger a surprise Conspiracy Phase at a random time during the Day.
Night Phase (24 Hours)
- Witch Action: Witches coordinate in secret to choose a town member to kill.
- Constable Action: The Constable chooses one player to protect from the night kill.
- Player Confession: Any player may choose to confess by the end of the night. They will be safe from the Witch killing for that night, but they must immediately reveal one of their own hidden Tryal cards. If the Constable chooses to save them, that player will not have to confess, but they will not know until the day phase that they were saved.
- Group Chats: Private group chats are initiated for that night.
PRIVATE COMMUNICATION RULES
To keep information flowing but controlled, private group chats operate under the Chat Initiation Limit:
- Creation Limit: Each player can open/create a maximum of 2 private chats.
- The MOD will be included in each chat as well.
- Participation Limit: There is no limit to how many chats a player can join (you can be invited to any number of chats opened by others).
- Player Cap per Chat: Each individual chat can contain a maximum of 3 live players total.
- Dead Players: Dead players may be included in chats, but they must not speak.
- Exceptions: The Moderator (@Mod) and any number of dead players do not count toward the 3-live-player limit in any chat.
The Witch Chat
- The Witches have a dedicated private chat that does not count toward their 2-chat creation limit or participation limits.
- This chat is only active during the 24-hour Night Phase. It goes dark during the Day.
- Dead Witches Stay: Dead Witches retain full access to this channel so they can continue to watch and participate in the coven's secret coordination until the game concludes.
- Unanimous Execution: The living Witches must agree unanimously on their target for the night kill. If the living coven fails to reach a 100% consensus before the Night Phase ends, no kill occurs.
CUSTOM CONSPIRACY MECHANICS
When the Moderator triggers the surprise Conspiracy Phase during the Day, the following actions occur immediately:
- Cat Scratch: The player currently holding the Black Cat card randomly reveals one of their hidden Tryal cards.
- The Shift: All live players select 1 Tryal card to take from the player sitting "before" them in the player order (if a player does not choose within a timely manner, the Mod will pick randomly).
- The Redistribution: The Moderator collects all of these claimed Tryal cards and redistributes them completely at random among the players.
- If you receive a Witch card, you are now a Witch. If you lose a Witch card, you are still a Witch.
- If you receive the "Constable" card, you are now the Constable. If you lose the "Constable" card, you ARE NO LONGER the Constable.
THE DAILY PLAY DECK (57 CARDS)
Red (Attack) Cards (41 Cards)
These cards add marks toward a player's tryal threshold of 7 marks. Once 7 marks are accumulated, the cards are sent to the discard pile and recycled through the deck as they are available.
- 35x Accusation: Places 1 mark toward a Tryal on a player. (Note: Quantity starts at 35 and scales down as players die—see the Mod Scaling Table below).
- 5x Evidence: Places 3 marks toward a Tryal on a player.
- 1x Witness: Places 7 marks toward a Tryal on a player.
Green (Action) Cards (11 Cards)
These cards are played for immediate effects, resolved publicly in the thread, and then sent to the discard pile. They are recycled through the deck every day.
- 3x Alibi: Discard up to three accusations that are currently in front of another player.
- 1x Arson: Discards half of that player's cards.
- 1x Curse: Discard one blue card that is currently in front of another player.
- 1x Robbery: Takes half of the cards from one player and gives them to another player.
- 2x Scapegoat: Take all blue, green and red cards in front of any other player and place them in front of another player.
- 3x Stocks: Freezes a player, preventing them from acting for 1/4 of the remaining time in the current Day phase.
Blue (Permanent) Cards (5 Cards)
These cards are played face up in front of a player and remain active as long-term status effects. They are never discarded upon use. Instead, they remain in play and can be moved from player to player via Scapegoat. They leave play only when discarded by a Curse or when the player holding them is killed. Once removed from a player by these means, they are sent back into the deck to be drawn and played again.
- 1x Black Cat: When the CONSPIRACY is triggered, the mod will randomly reveal one TRYAL card belonging to the player with the Black Cat.
- 1x Asylum: The player who is given Asylum can not be killed during the Night.
- 2x Matchmaker: When two players have Matchmaker in front of them, if one dies, the other dies as well.
- 1x Piety: Prevents all Red (Attack) cards from being played directly on the player holding it. However, existing Red cards on other players can still be moved onto the Piety holder via Scapegoat.
Equal Hand Adjustment: Before dealing, the Moderator will add or remove 1-Mark Accusation cards as needed so that all surviving players receive an equal number of cards.
MODERATOR DECK SCALING TABLE
To keep hand sizes manageable as the town thins out in a 9-player setup, the Moderator will pull standard Accusation cards from the deck pool at the start of a new day based on the number of surviving players:
Live Players: 9 to 7 | Accusation Cards in Deck: 35 cards | Action: Starting Deck Size
Live Players: 6 to 5 | Accusation Cards in Deck: 25 cards | Action: Remove 10 Accusations
Live Players: 4 or fewer | Accusation Cards in Deck: 15 cards | Action: Remove 20 Accusations total
