- BGG rating
- 7.5
The Gig: Encore! Expansion
- 1–4 players
- 20–30 min
- 2023
- BGG rank
- BGG #11,329
- BGG rating
- 7.1
The Gig
2023
Rules assistance for The Gig
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 1–4 players
- 20–30 min
- 12+
- Complexity 2.0/5
For 1 player
Rules assistant for The Gig
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
The Gig is a board game released in 2023 for 1–4 players, 20–30 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Dann May, Lewis Shaw, Robb Smigielski, and Jamie Gray and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Dice Rolling, and End Game Bonuses.
Expansions
About the game
In The Gig, players are members of a jazz group improvising their way through a song, vying for the spotlight, and trying to please the audience while working up mind-blowing solos! The game takes place over six rounds, a.k.a. "songs". Each song, players count down, then roll and place dice in real time to gain symbols and create patterns. When one player has placed all four of their dice, they shout "Take it to the bridge!" and other players must stop re-rolling and place the remainder of their dice. After placing all of their dice, each player can add the shape that their dice formed to their instrument's unique solo board, each of which offers a different challenge and way of scoring. Players can use symbols gained via the song and their solo boards to quickly change their dice, keep them for endgame scoring, or spend them to buy audience cards, each of which represents a newly-gained fan who will give you another way of scoring points at game's end. After the set list of six songs has been played, the player with the most points gained from their solo, audience cards, harmonies, and symbol sets and majorities wins. The Gig includes a solo mode by Dávid Turczi.
Mechanics
Publishers
- Braincrack Games
Questions and answers
The Gig supports 1–4 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for The Gig is 20–30 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists The Gig for ages 12 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
The Gig has a complexity rating of 2.0 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
The Gig belongs to these categories: Dice, Music, and Real-time. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Dice Rolling, and End Game Bonuses. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of The Gig are: Dann May, Lewis Shaw, Robb Smigielski, and Jamie Gray. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists The Gig as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.