Overview

Mad Gab is a party game of phonetic puzzles. Each card shows a set of unrelated words that, when read aloud, sound like a familiar phrase, name, or place. For example, “Law Sand Jealous” sounds like “Los Angeles.” Teams race to decode these puzzles within a time limit. The first team to reach 25 points wins.

Components

• 300 cards (1,200 puzzles total – 4 puzzles per card)
• 1 flipper
• 1 timer
• 1 score pad
• Instructions

Cards have two difficulty levels: blue (beginner) and orange (expert).

Setup

1. Divide players into two teams.
2. Place stickers on the timer and flipper as directed.
3. Each team selects a playing piece and places it on the START oval of the score track.
4. One team designates a Coach; the opposing team picks a Stealer.

Turn Structure

Each turn:

1. Set the timer and flip 3 puzzle cards into the flipper so the playing team can see the puzzle side.
2. The playing team reads the words aloud, trying to decipher the hidden phrase.
3. The Coach (a teammate) helps by directing teammates to emphasize certain syllables, speed up, or slow down – but cannot give direct clues about the answer.
4. For each correctly solved puzzle, the team scores 1 point and flips to the next card.
5. Teams may yell “Pass” to skip a puzzle and move to the next.
6. When time expires, the Stealer (from the opposing team) has 10 seconds to solve any puzzles that were passed or unsolved.

Actions

• Solve puzzles: Read the phonetic words aloud and identify the hidden phrase.
• Coach: Direct teammates on pronunciation without revealing the answer.
• Steal: After time expires, the opposing team’s Stealer attempts to solve remaining puzzles for bonus points.
• Pass: Skip a difficult puzzle (but it becomes available for stealing).

Scoring / Victory Conditions

• Each correctly solved puzzle earns 1 point.
• The Stealer earns 1 point for each puzzle they successfully steal.
• The first team to reach 25 points wins the game.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Two-player variant: Players work independently with no stealing mechanic.
• Three-player variant: Players rotate the Coach and Stealer roles each round.
• The Coach must not say any words from the answer or give letter/word-count clues.
• If both teams reach 25 points in the same round, the team with more points wins.

Player Reference

Role	Description
Playing Team	Reads puzzles aloud, tries to decode phrases
Coach	Teammate who helps with pronunciation hints (no direct clues)
Stealer	Opposing player who gets 10 seconds to solve passed/missed puzzles