The Gig Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Contents
• In the Box
• Setup
  • Player Setup
  • General Setup
  • Audience Setup
• Overview
• 1. The Song
  • Rows
  • Placing Dice
  • Resolving Clashes
  • Rolling Dice
  • Re-rolling Dice
  • Taking the Initiative
• 2. The Bridge
  • a. Perform your Solo
  • b. Score Harmonies
  • c. Remove Dice, Gain Bonuses
  • Using Symbols
• 3. The Applause
  • Buying Cards
  • Discarding Cards
  • Card Clarifications
• 4. The Tune-Up
• Final Scoring
  • Declare a Winner
• Instrument Solos
  • Find Your Grooves
  • Pick One
  • Play Your Solo
  • Examples
  • Solo Benefits
• Instrument Symbols
  • The Horn
  • The Drums
  • The Keys
  • The Sax
  • The Vocals
  • The Bass
• Alternative Turn-Based Rules
  • Setup Changes
  • Rule Changes
• The Showdown (Solitaire Rules)
  • Setup
  • Overview
  • The Rules
    • Rolling Dice
    • The Bridge
    • The Applause
    • Unplaced Dice
    • Endgame Scoring
    • Difficulty Balancing

Contents

• Contents & Setup
• How to Play
• Solos
• Turn-based Rules
• Solitaire Rules
• Audience Reference

In the Box

• 8 x Double-Sided Boards (Side 1: Instrument Boards; Side 2: Score Boards)
• 1 x Song Book
• 4 x Pens
• 15 x Set List Cards
• 30 x Audience Cards
• 4 x Dice Trays
• 3 x Initiative Tokens
• 16 x Dice

Setup

Player Setup

Each player takes:

• 1 Instrument Board
• 1 Score Board
• 4 Dice
• 1 Dice Tray
• 1 Pen

Note: There are more instruments than sets of dice and dice trays, so the colour of your instrument's might not match your dice - that's fine! It won't affect gameplay.

General Setup

Select a Set List that matches your player count (1-2 Player, 3 Player or 4 Player Set List). (Note: Each card has a different list on each side!) Then turn the song book to the first song on the list, and place it in the centre of the play area. Keep your chosen Set List card visible, and return the rest to the box - they will not be used.

Example: the first song of the 2 Player Set List is Song One: "Breaking it Down".

Audience Setup

Note: The next steps are only used if you're playing with the Audience cards. We recommend playing without the Audience cards for your first game.

1. Place the Initiative Tokens within reach of all players. Return those with a value equal to or higher than the number of players to the box.
2. Create 2 shuffled decks of Audience cards - those with an Early symbol in the corner and those with a Late symbol in the corner.
3. If there are only 2 players: randomly remove 6 cards from each deck (12 total).
4. If there are only 3 players: randomly remove 3 cards from each deck (6 total).
5. Place both decks near the song book in a single face-down pile, with the Early cards on top.
6. Reveal cards equal to the number of players +1 (i.e. 5 in a 4 player game) and place them in a face-up row next to the deck.

(Board note: the Initiative Tokens are removed in a 1-2 player game.)

Overview

The Gig takes place over 6 rounds, called Songs. Each Song has 4 phases.

1. The Song, when players place dice in real time.
2. The Bridge, when solos, and scoring for the song occurs.
3. The Applause, where Audience cards, if used, are bought or discarded by the players.
4. The Tune-Up, when players do some brief cleanup before the next song begins.

At the end of the game, the winner is the player with the most points earned by collecting symbols, playing solos, and impressing the audience!

1. The Song

After a short countdown, players simultaneously roll all their dice into their respective dice trays.

"4, 3, 2, 1!"

After this point, play continues simultaneously in real time, until all players have placed all 4 of their dice on the active song.

Rows

The song has a row for each die value, from 1 (lowest) to 6 (highest). Each row has spaces (arranged in columns) and a Harmony space at the end.

Placing Dice

Only 1 die can occupy each space of the song.

Each die must be placed in the row that matches its value (the lowest is 1, the highest is 6).

Dice can be placed in the Harmony space at the end of each row at any time. Multiple dice can occupy this spot, but only 1 of each colour.

Each player may only place one die on the song at a time, and must only use one hand to do so.

Resolving Clashes

If two or more players want to place on the same space at the same time, and neither player yields, both players must return the die to their pool and re-roll it.

Rolling Dice

Until one player has placed all of their dice, players may re-roll dice in their pool as often as they wish.

Re-rolling Dice

When re-rolling dice, you must do so in your dice tray. Dice that land outside your dice tray cannot be placed on the song.

Dice that were not in your dice tray or placed on the song (i.e. if a die was still in your hand) when "take it to the Bridge" was called may each be rolled once more.

When the first player to do so places their 4th die, they must say:

"TAKE IT TO THE BRIDGE!"

All other players must now stop re-rolling, and place their remaining dice on the song, if they still can.

Notation symbols (explained in full later) can still be used to adjust your unplaced dice after "take it to the Bridge" has been called.

Taking the Initiative

If you are playing with the Audience cards, as soon as you have placed your 4th die (even if you were not the first to do so) you may take one of the available Initiative Tokens.

Take the lowest value (i.e. "1st") available. If you took the '1st' Initiative token, you may immediately gain a Spotlight.

These tokens dictate the order in which players can win over the Audience in "The Applause." The player without a token will go last.

2. The Bridge

Perform the following steps in order.

a. Perform your Solo

See Instrument Solos. Only proceed to the next step once all players are finished.

b. Score Harmonies

If you have any die placed in the Harmony column, score 2 pts for every filled space in that row (not including Harmony spaces). Any points should be marked in the Harmony space for this song on the player board. Remember: At most 1 die of each colour can occupy each Harmony space at the end of each row.

c. Remove Dice, Gain Bonuses

Finally, remove your remaining dice from the Song one at a time, and mark the corresponding Symbols on your player board.

Using Symbols

Erasing a Notation Symbol on your Notes section grants you the power to affect your unplaced dice.

You can use any number of Notation Symbols (including multiples of the same type) to change die values at any time during The Song, even after the first player has placed their 4th die.

Spotlights are used to buy Audience cards, when they are used (and otherwise are just worth points.)

• Flat: Reduce the value by 1 (or change a 1 to a 6).
• Sharp: Increase the value by 1 (or change a 6 to a 1).
• Repeat: Change to a value that matches another one of your dice (played or unplayed).
• Rest: Change to a value that does not appear on any of your dice (played or unplayed).

3. The Applause

Note: Skip this step if you are not using the Audience cards. We recommend playing without them for your first game!

In the order printed on the Initiative tokens, each player may Buy or Discard one of the available Audience cards (those in the face-up row next to the deck.)

Buying Cards

Each card has a cost in Spotlights printed at the top. To Buy a card, you must be able to spend that many Spotlights. If you do so, rub out the indicated number of Spotlights on your score board, take the card, and place it face-up next to your score board.

If the card has an immediate effect, resolve it now.

Discarding Cards

Audience cards have a reward printed in the top-right hand corner (usually a symbol) that you can gain (and immediately note on your score board) by discarding the card from the row.

Discarded cards are sent to a communal discard pile. They can no longer be bought by any player. Do not place them in your player area, to avoid confusion about which cards you bought and which you discarded.

Card Clarifications

An appendix for the Audience cards is included at the back of this rulebook. (Not yet included in this preview version.)

4. The Tune-Up

After all but the last song, carry out the following steps:

• Return dice: All dice on the song are returned to the players who control that colour.
• Next song: Turn to the next Song referenced on the Set List card you're using for this game. Or, if this was the last song, proceed to end game scoring.
• New audience: If you're playing with the Audience cards, discard any unused cards, and reveal new ones from the deck equal to the number of players +1.

Final Scoring

Tally up the points on your player board.

• Instrument Solos: Total up any points gained from your Solo (see Instrument Solos).
• Spotlights: Gain 1 pt per Spotlight you have.
• Audience Cards: Total the scores earned from any Audience cards you have, if any.
• Symbol Majorities: For each Symbol, score 5 pts per player who has fewer of those symbols than you do. You do not score 5 pts if a player has the same amount of symbols as you. If nobody has fewer symbols than you, you score nothing.
• Notation Symbol Sets: Score 5 pts for each set of 4 different Notation Symbols you have marked on your board.
• Harmonies: Add up all your Harmony scores.

Declare a Winner

The player with the most points is the winner! If there's a tie, share the audience's adoration between yourselves.

Instrument Solos

After each song you will draw one of the 'grooves' that your dice formed on the Song onto your solo board to gain different effects.

Find Your Grooves

When you place your dice on the song, you will naturally form one or more 'grooves'.

A groove is 1 to 4 dice that are contiguously grouped via diagonal or orthogonal adjacency. In other words, 1-4 dice that form a shape! Dice in the Harmony area cannot be used for grooves.

If you don't want to use all of a given groove, you may ignore 1 or more dice from it, as long as all the remaining dice are contiguously linked.

The value(s) of the die / dice used in the groove is not relevant to the solo board.

Pick One

When it is time to play your solo, you must pick only 1 of your grooves, and add it to your solo board.

Play Your Solo

Once you've chosen a groove to use, draw it onto the solo area on your instrument board, making sure to follow these rules:

• The first groove must include the indicated start space.
• Grooves larger than 1 space must form a single shape.
• Each groove must be adjacent (diagonally or orthogonally) to another.
• Grooves must never overlap - including diagonally!
• Your groove can be freely rotated or flipped as you desire.

Examples

In the example: Blue has 1 groove consisting of 4 dice. The '6' is linked diagonally. Purple has 2 grooves - a single space, and a line of 3. They could use either on their solo. Red has no dice linked. The biggest groove they can make will be just 1 space.

• Blue cannot fit their entire groove in, so they use just the row of 3 to circle the top row of their solo, gaining 5 pts altogether.
• Purple could circle 1 space or 3 in a row. They cannot use their 3-in-a-row groove vertically, so they rotate it and circle a 2 pt space, a 2x Multiplier, and a Spotlight. They get 4 pts and 2 Spotlights altogether.
• Red's can only circle one space, and only the 1 pt space next to the >>> icon.

Solo Benefits

Each space of your solo has a different effect that applies only once it has been enclosed by a groove.

• Enclosed Points are added together and scored at the end of the game.
• Enclosed Symbols are gained immediately.
• Enclosed Multipliers multiply the effect of every other space within the same groove, whether immediately (in the case of Notation Symbols and Spotlights) or at the end of the game, in the case of Points. If multiple Multipliers share a Groove, only the highest one counts.
• Multipliers also affect certain Instrument Symbols - check the clarification section for your instrument if you are unsure.
• Some instruments also have a unique Instrument Symbol, covered under Instrument Symbols.

Instrument Symbols

The Horn

Any enclosed numbers in the rightmost column of the grid are multiplied by the number of enclosed Horn symbols. In the example, the 1, 3, 3 and 3 are multiplied by the 2 Horn symbols, for a total of 20 pts. If no Horn symbols are circled, or only one is circled, the scores in the right hand column are worth their printed value. Horn symbols are unaffected by multipliers.

The Drums

The Drums has 2 symbols: Drums & Sticks. Pairs of Drums & Sticks within the same groove score 7 pts each. Single Drum or Sticks symbols on their own in a groove score nothing. Both symbols can be multiplied by multiplier spaces.

The Keys

The Keys symbols can be any Notation symbol on the Notes section of your instrument board. When enclosed, immediately gain 1 Notation Symbol of your choice.

If it isn't used immediately, the effect is lost. More symbols (even of different types) can be gained by combining it with a Multiplier.

The Sax

At the end of the game, you will score points equal to the number of enclosed Sax symbols. Multipliers can affect Sax symbols.

Hint: It is possible to get all 8! Use multipliers and diagonally to your advantage!

The Vocals

Each Vocals symbol can duplicate any 1 symbol (other than a Multiplier) as long as it's enclosed by the same groove.

Immediately cross out Vocal symbols used to duplicate Symbols.

Uncrossed Vocal symbols may duplicate 1 Point space from the same groove each at game end.

Vocal symbols cannot duplicate multipliers, but are affected by multipliers - immediately for Symbols, or at the end of the game for points, but not both.

The Bass

Instead of a unique symbol, The Bass scores bonus points when the two widest rows are filled with (any amount of) grooves. Each such row scores 10 pts when filled.

Alternative Turn-Based Rules

The Gig was designed to be played in 'real-time', and we strongly advise trying the normal rules before trying these alternative rules!

These rules still use real-time rolling, but are intended to add a bit more structure to the dice placement for player groups who find themselves clashing too often or who want a less frantic mode of play.

Setup Changes

The turn-based rules can be played with or without the Audience cards, as in the normal rules. However, when using these rules, you must always lay out Initiative Tokens equal to the number of players minus one.

E.g. In a 3 player game, only lay out the '1st' and '2nd' tokens.

The rest of the setup proceeds as normal.

Rule Changes

Changes are only made to 'The Song' phase - the rest of the game is played as normal.

As before, all players count down from 4, and roll all their dice at once. From this point, players can re-roll their dice as often as they wish.

When you are happy with the value of a die, place it on your Instrument Board to "lock it in." Once you have placed all four of your dice on your Instrument board, you may take 1 of the available Initiative Tokens.

When all of the available Initiative tokens have been taken, the last remaining player must stop re-rolling.

Then, in Initiative Order (the player without a token goes last in this order), each player places 2 of their dice on the song, following the same rules as the normal game.

Repeat this step once more, so each player has placed all of their dice on the song.

The rest of the game is played as normal!

(The preview rulebook lists Gameplay, Examples, Solitaire Mode, New Instruments, Audience Clarifications and Icon Reference as "Coming Soon".)

The Showdown (Solitaire Rules)

Everyone agreed - you were the best there ever was. Until you weren't. This new cat rolls into town, and suddenly your hard-won reputation is all of a sudden called into question, your assuredness diminished, your place on the throne challenged. There was only one thing left to do.

Whatever your instrument, you'll need to bring it with you to this epic duel to see who really is the bee's knees, the cat's pajamas - the best there ever was.

The Showdown is a version of The Gig you can play by yourself as you try to beat "The Challenger!"

Setup

1. Setup the game as usual for yourself.
2. Pick a 2 player Set List card, and turn the Songbook to the first song on the list.
3. Then give 'The Challenger' a set of dice and a Score Board.
4. If you wish to use the Audience: Set up the Audience cards as in a 2-player game (remove 6 Early and 6 Late cards).
5. If you wish to use the Timed rules, set up a 40 second timer (a phone timer will work just fine).

Overview

While you will play according to the normal scoring rules, The Challenger will not participate in Solos or spend Symbols. The rules of the normal game are followed unless otherwise indicated here.

The Rules

When you are ready to begin each song, start the timer (if used). Play as you would normally, with these changes:

Rolling Dice

Every time you roll any of your dice, you must also roll exactly one of The Challenger's dice. If the result of the Challenger's die is anything but a 6, it must be placed before you can place any of your own dice.

Place the die on the upper-leftmost available space on the song that matches the corresponding symbol. Prioritise spaces furthest left. In the event that no such space exists, or all such spaces are already taken, the die is not placed (but will be rolled again with your next re-roll).

The Bridge

In The Showdown, you are allowed to re-roll your dice until any of the following occur:

• You have placed any of your dice on the song
• The 4th Challenger die is placed on the song
• The timer (if used) runs out

As in the normal game, you may place the remainder of your dice, and spend symbols to change their values if you wish to do so, but you cannot re-roll anymore.

The Applause

The Challenger will always get an opportunity to take Audience cards first. They may take 0, 1 or 2 cards, depending on whether the following conditions are met:

• If 2 Challenger dice were placed, they'll take 1 card.
• If 3-4 were placed, they'll take 2 cards.
• If you are using a timer and the Timer elapsed before you placed all your dice, they'll take 2 cards.

The Challenger can only Discard audience members, discarding them to gain symbols.

They will prioritise filling the upper-leftmost space (prioritising left) on their symbol tracker. Choose an audience card from the available selection that has the matching reward in the top-right of the card. Repeat this process for each Audience card that the Challenger is able to discard.

Unplaced Dice

During The Bridge, when you would write scores gained through Harmonies on your score board, give the Challenger 5 pts for each unplaced Challenger die.

Endgame Scoring

The Challenger scores as normal, with one exception: if they have more symbols than you of a symbol type, their bonus (usually 5 pts) is doubled to 10 pts. If you have more points than The Challenger, you win!

Difficulty Balancing

If you require more of a challenge, you can either:

• Use the timer, or reduce it to 30 seconds
• Give The Challenger a head start of 20 pts (Hard) or 30 pts (Expert)