Official Mad Gab Rules
How To Play Mad Gab
2 - 12
Players
10+
Ages
30 MIN
Play Time
$25
Price
Mad Gab is a party game of gabbing like mad. It's a game of not what you say but what you hear. The answers are right in front of you; you just have to sound them out. Answers are read off of cards that contain other words that when read together sound like another phrase, name, or words. For example, "Law Sand Jealous" sounds like "Los Angeles." You'll be laughing as you try to piece these words together and get your points.
Players are given a card with a phrase written in gibberish. The players must figure out what the phrase is by sounding out the words. Once a player has figured out the phrase, they must say it out loud to prove they have solved the puzzle. If the player's answer is correct, they get to keep the card. The player with the most cards at the end of the game is the winner.
This is a fast paced game that is easy to learn how to play and is great for larger groups of people. Play time on Mad Gab is not too long and requires very little setup. It can be played with any number of players and cards, but a typical game will last between 20-30 minutes and use around 100 cards. Play Mad Gab today!
Players are given a card with a phrase written in gibberish. The players must figure out what the phrase is by sounding out the words. Once a player has figured out the phrase, they must say it out loud to prove they have solved the puzzle. If the player's answer is correct, they get to keep the card. The player with the most cards at the end of the game is the winner.
This is a fast paced game that is easy to learn how to play and is great for larger groups of people. Play time on Mad Gab is not too long and requires very little setup. It can be played with any number of players and cards, but a typical game will last between 20-30 minutes and use around 100 cards. Play Mad Gab today!
- 1,200 Mad Gab Puzzles On 300 Cards
- Flipper
- Timer
- Score Pad And Labels
- Official Mad Gab Game Rules And Instructions
The team that reaches 25 points first wins. Scoring is done by solving Mad Gab puzzles, where there is a set of unrelated words which when spoken aloud, sound like some familiar phrases, names, or places. For instance, "Law Sand Jealous" sounds like "Los Angeles." Both teams have to solve three puzzles each before the timer goes off. At the end, the "Stealing" team gets a chance to score on any of the puzzles that the "Solving" team has left unsolved.
Perparation: When you first open your game, get it ready for play by placing the Mad Gab stickers on both the timer and the flipper. Mad Gab is best played with two teams, but there are also rules for two or three players/teams. The teams do not need to have an equal number of players in them. The color of the cards denotes the level: the blue side is for beginners, while the orange side is for experts. First, go through the blue and then the more difficult one-the orange. Mad Gab is fun, contagious, and addictive-once you get started, you will get better and better!
Game Play: First - by agreement decide which team will be the "Solving" team. That will be Team 1. Team 1 picks one of its players to be the Coach. Team 2 picks one of their players to be the Stealer. A different Coach and Stealer is chosen for each turn, and later, more will be said about their roles.
The rest of the players in Team 2, excluding the Stealer, who should not see the puzzles and answers, draw three Mad Gab cards from the DRAW end of the box. The drawn cards will include the puzzle to be acted and the correct answers with which these players now get familiar in order to judge if the opposing team gives correct answers. They will also enjoy themselves, as they know the answers and the Solving team doesn't! The answers are given on the top of the OPPOSITE side of the card. Note: There are four puzzles on each card. The game should proceed in the following order: puzzle A (blue side), puzzle B (blue side), puzzle A (orange side), puzzle B (orange side).
Team 2, without the Stealer, readies the flipper by sliding the cards into the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd slots in the order they were drawn.
Then they set the Mad Gab timer to the "Average" setting. You can adjust the time as you get better and better at solving. Then Team 2 slides the flipper FACE DOWN to Team 1's Coach. Team 1's Coach sets the flipper in front of their team so that when it's flipped up, the puzzle on card #1 will be facing their teammates.
Team 2 starts the clock. The Team 1 Coach lifts the flipper to reveal the puzzle on card # 1 to teammates. The solution to the puzzle is found on the back of the card in the upper right hand corner.
The Coach's role is to lead their teammates to the answer, but must do this by directing their teammates to emphasize certain syllables, to speed up or slow down, or to listen to a teammate who may be close to the solution. **Note:** The Coach's main role is to get their teammates to say the puzzle out loud so they can "hear" each other and recognize the answer!
The Coach cannot give any clues or hints to the answer. In order to solve the puzzle, players must say it out loud, which is usually the most humorous part of the game, as players will be saying the answer without even realizing it! The team that is not playing decides if the playing team's answer is correct, based on what they actually said.
Once a puzzle is solved, the Coach pulls the card from the flipper, revealing the next puzzle. At any time, if the team gets stuck, anyone on the playing team can yell "Pass." The Coach then removes that card and it is considered "dead" to the playing team—meaning they can't come back to it, even if time remains.
Play continues in this manner until the timer expires, or all three puzzles are either solved or passed. When time expires, the Stealer has 10 seconds to solve any puzzles that were passed or missed by the playing team. The Stealer can see any remaining puzzles in the flipper when making their guesses but must rely on memory for any puzzles that were "passed."
After each turn, the three cards go to the DISCARD end of the Mad Gab box.
Each Mad Gab puzzle is one point apiece. Teams receive one point for every puzzle they solve and pull from the flipper before the time runs out. The Stealing team receives one point for each puzzle the Stealer solves that was missed or passed on by the playing team.
Teams alternate, with a different Coach and Stealer each time. Play continues until one team reaches 25 points. The team that did not start as the solvers will get the last turn to try and catch up.
If there is a tie, each team chooses one player to go out. These players will choose the final puzzle and load it into the flipper. The card is then tilted up so that both teams can see it. The first team to solve the puzzle wins.
Score on the pad provided. You can make the game longer or shorter by changing the number of points needed to win.
No coaching in the two-player game, players work independently to solve three puzzles as their opponent flips them up. Points are scored the same way, but there is no stealing.
In the three-player game, Player 1 draws the cards and operates the flipper, Player 2 is the Solver, and Player 3 is the Stealer. Players take turns and after each player has taken an equal number of pre-determined attempts at solving the Mad Gab puzzles, a player with most points wins.
Please keep in mind that the official Mad Gab PDF rules listed below could be different depending on the version you have. They should be an exact copy of what came in your original packaging. Download them to view now or print them for later use.
Game Play: First - by agreement decide which team will be the "Solving" team. That will be Team 1. Team 1 picks one of its players to be the Coach. Team 2 picks one of their players to be the Stealer. A different Coach and Stealer is chosen for each turn, and later, more will be said about their roles.
The rest of the players in Team 2, excluding the Stealer, who should not see the puzzles and answers, draw three Mad Gab cards from the DRAW end of the box. The drawn cards will include the puzzle to be acted and the correct answers with which these players now get familiar in order to judge if the opposing team gives correct answers. They will also enjoy themselves, as they know the answers and the Solving team doesn't! The answers are given on the top of the OPPOSITE side of the card. Note: There are four puzzles on each card. The game should proceed in the following order: puzzle A (blue side), puzzle B (blue side), puzzle A (orange side), puzzle B (orange side).
Team 2, without the Stealer, readies the flipper by sliding the cards into the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd slots in the order they were drawn.
Then they set the Mad Gab timer to the "Average" setting. You can adjust the time as you get better and better at solving. Then Team 2 slides the flipper FACE DOWN to Team 1's Coach. Team 1's Coach sets the flipper in front of their team so that when it's flipped up, the puzzle on card #1 will be facing their teammates.
Team 2 starts the clock. The Team 1 Coach lifts the flipper to reveal the puzzle on card # 1 to teammates. The solution to the puzzle is found on the back of the card in the upper right hand corner.
The Coach's role is to lead their teammates to the answer, but must do this by directing their teammates to emphasize certain syllables, to speed up or slow down, or to listen to a teammate who may be close to the solution. **Note:** The Coach's main role is to get their teammates to say the puzzle out loud so they can "hear" each other and recognize the answer!
The Coach cannot give any clues or hints to the answer. In order to solve the puzzle, players must say it out loud, which is usually the most humorous part of the game, as players will be saying the answer without even realizing it! The team that is not playing decides if the playing team's answer is correct, based on what they actually said.
Once a puzzle is solved, the Coach pulls the card from the flipper, revealing the next puzzle. At any time, if the team gets stuck, anyone on the playing team can yell "Pass." The Coach then removes that card and it is considered "dead" to the playing team—meaning they can't come back to it, even if time remains.
Play continues in this manner until the timer expires, or all three puzzles are either solved or passed. When time expires, the Stealer has 10 seconds to solve any puzzles that were passed or missed by the playing team. The Stealer can see any remaining puzzles in the flipper when making their guesses but must rely on memory for any puzzles that were "passed."
After each turn, the three cards go to the DISCARD end of the Mad Gab box.
Each Mad Gab puzzle is one point apiece. Teams receive one point for every puzzle they solve and pull from the flipper before the time runs out. The Stealing team receives one point for each puzzle the Stealer solves that was missed or passed on by the playing team.
Teams alternate, with a different Coach and Stealer each time. Play continues until one team reaches 25 points. The team that did not start as the solvers will get the last turn to try and catch up.
If there is a tie, each team chooses one player to go out. These players will choose the final puzzle and load it into the flipper. The card is then tilted up so that both teams can see it. The first team to solve the puzzle wins.
Score on the pad provided. You can make the game longer or shorter by changing the number of points needed to win.
No coaching in the two-player game, players work independently to solve three puzzles as their opponent flips them up. Points are scored the same way, but there is no stealing.
In the three-player game, Player 1 draws the cards and operates the flipper, Player 2 is the Solver, and Player 3 is the Stealer. Players take turns and after each player has taken an equal number of pre-determined attempts at solving the Mad Gab puzzles, a player with most points wins.
Please keep in mind that the official Mad Gab PDF rules listed below could be different depending on the version you have. They should be an exact copy of what came in your original packaging. Download them to view now or print them for later use.
Share with us your comments, funny stories, tips, advice, strategies, creative ways to play, questions about playing, problems with the directions, etc. All submissions will be reviewed within 24 hours.
Terry says:
Oh the memories with Mad Gab. We use to play this game all the time with my extended family and it is so funny to hear the answers read aloud and people still can't solve the puzzle. Seeing and hearing are definitely two different things.
08-10-2015
Oh the memories with Mad Gab. We use to play this game all the time with my extended family and it is so funny to hear the answers read aloud and people still can't solve the puzzle. Seeing and hearing are definitely two different things.
DIANA Hayes says:
I think that Mad Gab is a fun game
12-15-2013
I think that Mad Gab is a fun game
Angel Wynne says:
My family and I played MAD GAB, it was so funny. we were guessing some correct, some weren't, and it was so funny. I love the game it makes you laugh and spend time with family, thats what count family time spent together.
10-25-2010
My family and I played MAD GAB, it was so funny. we were guessing some correct, some weren't, and it was so funny. I love the game it makes you laugh and spend time with family, thats what count family time spent together.
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