My 2 Cents in this:
Wilderness vs. Buildings
If you play Salemite, you like buildings and dead people. You like to have many rooms, because you start in them, you like Board-Tiles with Skulls, because they help creating Zombies.
If you play NORAD, you like outside spaces but buildings as well. Outside spaces, because you start there and Salemites dont, buildings because they help you to accomplish your missions.
One big building complex vs. different smaller buidlings
If you build one big building, the advantage is (at least for the Salemites) that you could shelter some rooms by placing them deep inside. If each building borders to an exterior tile, NORAD has quite easy access to your complex via Mammoth-Wall-Breach. Last game, for example, my first move was to scramble Communications ... and the Mammoths first move was to break through the wall and smash the expensive Comm-Equipment. There went the scrambling...
So one big building is better for making a fortress, with the important rooms in the middle and some bedrooms, kitchens and stuff around.
The disadvantage is the Generator. The Generator works for all rooms in a building. So if you have a big building complex, the generator (if on the board) shuts down all rooms, which need energy. If you have many small buildings, shutting down the Generator makes much less trouble.
If you build two or more smaller buildings, you dont have the trouble with energy. But there are more access points (more doors and more walls to breach for the Mammoth) and it is unlikely that you are able to shelter all your important rooms.
Furthermore, Salemites have to decide to leave a building alone or to divide their forces. Abandon a building means, NORAD can search undisturbed.
Doors
NORAD likes to place accessible and/or weak doors. If Salemite plays a room, you could always place an outside tile adjacent, so you have to place the door. But you have to keep your number of doors in mind, because you dont want to pay MP.
Salemites like doors with card access, but you have to be careful or you end locking up your own Chars without cards. I guess best is an outer area, which is accessible without card and a inner part, accessible with card (only for the Prof and Hollister for example). Or every room has easy access, but try to get a door with card access to every door that leads outside.
Cost in MP
Keep costs in mind. Try to place those tiles, which cost you a MP only if necessary. Try to place those, for which you get a point. Having more MP at the start of the game makes quite a difference. You got more points to convert to CP (via Hollister or Bolter)
Example:
So, if you play Norad, you would like to get rid of things like the Cemetary, the Zombie Lab, Morgue, and Cryogenic Chamber.
If you place Morgue or Zombie Lab with the other side (exterior or big empty corridor) Norad has to pay a mission point. Placing Cryogenic Chamber or Cemetary with the other side, you have to pay nothing.
Because there are four tiles, it is quite possible, the Salemite is able to place at least two of them.
Important rooms
I dont know ... I play them by heart. OK, if I play Salemites, I try to get places with dead bodies, and if I play NORAD, I try to prevent them. But even then ... NORAD could get a Mission with Zombies and if Saw is the only Zombie on the Board it could get difficult.
In my games, Video Surveillance, Command Post and the like, played a major role. Salemite would start in the Command Post and get 2 CP in every Initiative Phase until one gets them out of the room. Starting in the Comm Room to scramble NORADs Communication from the beginning could be a nice move (but I never managed it to happen, so far).
About the other rooms ... I really dont know so far. Last game I went for those, which gave me MP and that worked well.
So, if anyone has some further thoughts on this one, I would appreciate the share of knowledge!
Have fun
