@ ProdigeeWhen I first began trying to play Salem, I had trouble launching the game too.
...If you search this thread
viewtopic.php?f=11&t=7681#p97369 in the Artifice & Arcana forum board here, you should find a remedy among the many post there.
After a long search, that is where I found a
simple fix for Java's eccentricities toward this game's original client.
Also, after you get it to launch, the game plays much better on one of the custom client downloads found on that same forum board too, but you will still need the game's original client to run one or all of those custom clients.