Strategies

Different players have different ways of playing. They each have their own style and strategies that they use. Listed below are all different strategies available from the community.

Late Game Strategies
In the last few nights of the game, normal tactics don't work. To win, the players need to think differently. Usually this is when there are about 6 players left.

Classic
When there are only a few people left, priorities change. Normally, hanging the Serial Killer is a good move. However, with only a few people, it can be a Town-losing move. If there are 3 Mafia left, then the Mafia will automatically beat the Town. In this situation, the town needs to try to hang the Mafia or hope the Serial Killer will kill the Mafia.

Roles have different powers late in the game too. An Investigator is less helpful late in the game, because most people will try to deduce who is what role based on what roles are left. An Escort can stop the Godfather indefinitely, force a tie, and provide undeniable proof who is in the Mafia. Whereas, in the beginning of the game, the Escort can only roleblock people and get killed by the Serial Killer.

The Framer generally can't do much in the late game. Usually, the Investigator and Sheriff are dead and framing won't affect anyone. It's better to do nothing, especially in the case of a possible Veteran being on alert.

Usually, when there are three people left, everyone knows what roles are left. If the game isn't clearly over, usually a Town, a Mafia, and a Neutral are left. As a Mafia, it's almost always a bad move in situations like this to hang the Town. If the Town dies and a Serial Killer is left, the Mafia automatically loses.

When there's a Jester late in the game and there's doubt as to who the Jester is, sometimes it's good to claim Jester and ask "Who is the last town?" If the Jester catches on, he will claim last town and get hung. This can sometimes kill a Godfather or a Serial Killer and allow the remaining town player(s) to win.

It's also important not to give up when a possibility of winning exists. Even if the Mafia have to attack the Serial Killer and the Serial Killer has to attack the Godfather in the same turn, it's still worth holding out.

Custom
There's a lot more doubt as to each player's role, or even if that role is in the game. It generally makes stalling the best tactic. People don't want to make the wrong move and using arguments such as "There is an Any role" can stall enough time. Generally stalling works in the Mafia's favour, especially when they have more than one player alive. Acting like a Jester can be more effective as well, although custom players generally know the game better. A lousy acting job will not work well.

When there's an Arsonist late game, it's important to remember when he ignited or doused someone. If they haven't ignited recently, then they are threat number one. Several people could be doused, and they could win next turn. If they have ignited recently, they can't kill anyone for 2 turns, and they can only kill one person. It's more important to take down Mafia if there's more than one. The Mafia would want to kill town roles such as Vigilante, Jailor or Veteran.

The Transporter can really take advantage of mind-games in this mode. They can transport the Mafia/Serial Killer/Arsonist to attack who they want if they can predict them. They can also even say their existence and choose to transport themselves and another target. If that target is a well-known immune role, the transporter is in a strong position. The only reason to attack the immune role is to predict the transporter's mind games. Otherwise, the attacking player forgot the target was immune and made a bad decision that turned out lucky.

To combat the transporter, it's best to ignore their mind games completely. Attack targets that they do not acknowledge. Or better, hang them. If mafia have a majority after a lynch, it's safer not to attack at all. A missed attack with 3 people left can cost the mafia the game.

All Any
Mafia should always take advantage of the idea that they usually have an overwhelming majority. It can cause people to give up prematurely. There are often several mafia alive at the end of an any game, so using that perception can help. If there's one godfather and no more, write a Death Note laughing at the amount of mafia.

Almost nobody is 100% what everyone's roles are. Ridiculous things like 5 Mediums have happened before, so almost any claim can work. It's important to know what people think about different claims. An investigator claim will seem unlikely if the player hasn't talked much during the claim. A medium claim can seem unlikely, because many evil roles claim to be a medium.

Claiming Jester is a mixed issue. Some people will say that "Jester would never claim themself!" and then hang you. Conversely, it will scare some people away. It's more effective to act like you want to get lynched but never actually say "I want to get lynched!" or "I'm a jester". Provide a role, but mix a mistake in your explanation. "I'm a Vigilante. I shot someone Night 1", "I'm Medium. I spoke to the dead Night 1".

Generally making various people angry works too; however, it has to be done badly in order to make people think you are a jester, but not hang you. It's not always easy to do.

Outsmarting Roles
There are several different strategies that can be used to try and outsmart a role in Town of Salem, for example, making Godfather become revealed after having the Mayor reveal (if there is one), etc. Below are several strategies for outsmarting some roles.

Godfather

 * Godfathers sometimes claim to be Mayor to prevent conflict with Investigator, so if they happen to meet a player who claims they are a Mayor, try to force them to reveal themselves to confirm they really are a mayor.

Disguiser

 * Writing your name in the Last Will helps in telling people you are disguised, because the Last Will will be exchanged with the Disguiser's Last Will, letting people know the Last Will was written by you.
 * Pairing up with a Janitor to clean the Disguiser's target's role works very well. Just be careful when disguising as a revealed Mayor. People might notice your vote does not count for three.

Amnesiac

 * If an Amnesiac remembers their role as a Town, they will be forced to help the town members. If they remember that they are a Mafia member (or any Neutral Killing), their identity would be revealed immediately.
 * The trick is to never choose a role, then you can win with everyone.
 * Tell the town which role you will choose to prove yourself as Amnesiac. However, this may get you killed if your role is a Town role.

Arsonist

 * An Arsonist lying that they were doused is a bad idea, since their identity will be revealed when they ignite the doused players because they will not die after the ignition.
 * It is acceptable however to lie about being doused in the late game. However, once they do ignite, people will know something is up when they haven't died.

Executioner

 * Having them reveal their target is a profit, since the Executioner's target is always a Town member.

Jester

 * A Jester often gives false information to win the game (for example: revealing they're a Jailor after all Town Killing roles were revealed).

Mayor

 * If Mayor reveals themselves, BodyGuards or the Jailor will try to protect them, so be careful. However, a revealed Mayor can not be protected by a Doctor.

Blackmailer

 * Sometimes, Blackmailer (or any other Mafia) will try to claim to be a Spy. Test their claim by whispering a random phrase or number to someone believed to be innocent and force them to repeat it. Their disability to do so will be the proof of them lying.

Witch

 * It is possible to abuse a Vigilante by making them shoot a Townie that has revealed themselves; This would help the Witch taking a step forward in winning.