Mille-Borne

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Along the roads in Europe - especially in France - one sees small cement markers at regular intervals. The French call these markers bornes kilometriques. We know them as kilometer - stones or milestones. Mile - stones show the number of the route as well as the distance to the next town. Their red or yellow color also shows whether the route is a national highway or a local road. These markers give this game its name: MILLE BORNES (pronounced "MEEL BORN") means "a thousand milestones." MILLE BORNES is a card game for 2, 3, 4 or 6 players, usually played as a partnership game by 4 players - 2 on each team. As a driver, you must follow the rules of the road. Namely: You can go only when the light is green. You must stop when the light is red. You must obey speed limit signs. If you get a flat tire, you must use a spare. If you run out of gas, you must refill your tank. If you have an accident, you must repair your car. 

In this card game, you must follow these very same rules. And while sticking to them, you and your partner must try to travel 1,000 miles along an imaginary road. But be careful! Your opponents are trying to do the same and will try to slow you down by placing hazards in your path. Your challenge: to accumulate mileage by overcoming these hazards, while also trying to slow your opponents' progress with hazards of your own. 

The final object of the game is to be the first team to accumulate a total of 5,000 points in several hands of play. In doing so, you must try to complete a trip of exactly 1,000 miles in each hand played.

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The equipment consists of 112 Mille Borne cards, a score sheet and possibly a special card tray if you have an older set ( I have an old and new set). 

As you read about the different cards, spread them out in front of you and look them over carefully. 

Distance Cards. These are the cards with the mile-stones on them. Each one represents a distance of 25, 50, 75, 100 or 200 miles. When played to the table, they are added together to determine the distance travelled. 
Hazard Cards. There are 18 Hazard Cards: 3 Out of Gas, 3 Flat Tire, 3 Accident, 4 Speed Limit, and 5 Stop. 
Remedy Cards. There are 38 Remedy Cards: 6 Gasoline, 6 Spare Tire, 6 Repair, 6 End of Limit, and 14 Roll. 
Safety Cards. There are 4 Safety Cards: 1 Extra Tank, 1 Puncture-Proof, 1 Driving Ace, and 1 Right of Way. 
Cards Not Used in Play. There are 6 cards not used in the play of the game: 3 Score Cards - 2 in English, 1 in French; 3 Card Guides - 2 in English, 1 in French. 
 

The figure on the right shows how the cards relate to each other.  For each Hazard Card there is a corresponding Remedy Card that overcomes the hazard.  There is also a corresponding Safety Card that not only overcomes the hazard but also prevents it from occurring agaln.

This unusual deck of cards also has an unusual method of placement. Look at the figure below to see how the cards are played to the table. Note that there are 4 playing areas: a Speed Pile, a Battle Pile, Distance Piles, and a Safety Area.

1. Sit opposite your partner. 
2. Select a dealer. 
3. After removing the cards not used in play, the dealer shuffles the deck and deals 6 cards, face down and one at a time, to each player. The dealer then places the remaining cards, face down, onto the center of the table. These cards form the draw pile. 
4. Pick up the cards and look at them. Be sure no one else can see them. 
5. The first to play is the player to the dealer's left. 

How to Play the Cards 

A. Hazard Cards 

Stop, Out of Gas, Flat Tire, and Accident. Play these cards offensively onto your opponents' Battle Pile. By playing one, you temporarily prevent your opponents from gaining any further distance. 

Speed Limit. Play this card onto your opponents' Speed Pile. While it is showing, your opponents can play 25 mile and 50-mile Distance Cards only. 

B. Remedy Cards 

Gasoline, Spare Tire, and Repair. Play these cards defensively onto your own team's Battle Pile. Play one onto the corresponding hazard an opponent has played against you. By doing so, you overcome the hazard and may again be able to play a Distance Card. 

Roll. Play this card onto a Stop Card that an opponent has played against you. Also, after playing a Gasoline, Spare Tire or Repair Card, you must first play a Roll Card on a Subsequent turn in order to play further Distance Cards. As you'll learn further on, the exception to this rule is when the Right of Way Card is in your Safety Area. 

End of Limit. Play this card onto your own team's Speed Pile, on top of a Speed Limit Card. Your team then can resume normal speed and play any Distance Card. 

C. Distance Cards  

You may play Distance Cards when a Roll Card is on top of your Battle Pile or - as you'll learn - when the Right of Way Card is in your Safety Area. 

You may play almost any combination of Distance Cards to make 1,000 miles. You may not, however, play more than two 200 mile cards. And under no circumstances may you play Distance Cards that will bring your total over the 1,000 mile mark. If you should place a Distance Card that causes your mileage to exceed 1,000, remove that card and place it on the discard pile. 

D. Safety Cards 

Right of Way, Extra Tank, Puncture - Proof, and Driving Ace. Play these cards in your team's Safety Area. By playing one, you gain several advantages. First, you overcome the corresponding Hazard Card an opponent has played against you. Second, you prevent your opponents from playing the corresponding Hazard Card for the rest of the hand. And finally, by playing a Safety Card you may immediately draw another card and take another complete turn. 

The use of the Right of Way Card requires further explanation. It prevents your opponents from playing a Stop Card onto your Battle Pile or a Speed Limit Card onto your Speed Pile. Because it cancels a hazard already in play, it allows you to play 75-mile, 100-mile and 200-mile Distance Cards even if a Speed Limit Card is already showing on top of your Speed Pile. The Right of Way Card also permits you to play Distance Cards even if you don't have a Roll Card exposed. Remember that playing the Right of Way Card won't stop your opponents from playing Hazard Cards other than Stop and Speed Limit Cards. An opponent still can stop you by playing Out of Gas, Flat Tire, or Accident Cards onto your Battle Pile. In these cases, however, you still don't need to play a Roll Card in order to be able to play Distance Cards. You only need to play the proper Remedy Card. 

E. Coup Fourre (pronounced Coo-Foo-Ray) 

Coup Fourre is a French fencing term for "counter-thrust." It describes the action by which one fencer parries the opponent's thrust and counterattacks in the same maneuver. In this game, the action is similar and operates in the following manner. 

If an opponent plays a Hazard Card and you hold the corresponding Safety Card, immediately Call "Coup Fourre" and play the Safety Card to your Safety Area crosswise (horizontally). 

You may call "Coup Fourre" whether or not it is your turn. If you call "Coup Fourre" when it happens to be your turn, you must do so before you draw a card. Simiarly, if it's your partner's turn, you may call "Coup Fourre" only before your partner draws a card. 

A Safety Card played as a Coup Fourre entitles you to the following advantages: 
1. Immediately remove the Hazard Card from your Battle Pile or Speed Pile (in the case of the Right of Way Card) and place it onto the discard pile. 
2. Take an extra turn. 
3. You are protected from the corresponding Hazard Card for the rest of the hand. 
4. Whereas you'll score only 100 points for playing a Safety Card in the regular manner, you'll score 300 additional points for playing that same card as a Coup Fourre. 

When you finish your turn, play continues around the table in the usual manner. Any players between you and the player who played the Hazard Card that started the Coup Fourre, lose their turns. 

Your turn consists of two parts: drawing one card and adding it to your hand; then either playing one card to the table or discarding one card to the discard pile. Thus, you always hold 6 cards in your hand at the end of each turn. 

If you're the first player, start by drawing a card from the draw pile and adding it to your hand. You then must make one of the following plays: 
A. If you have a Roll Card, you may play it face up to the table to start your Battle Pile. Your turn ends, and play passes to the opponent on your left. 
B. If you have a Safety Card, you may play it face up, (vertically). Whenever you play a Safety Card, you may immediately take another complete turn. Start by drawing another card from the draw pile. If you have another Safety Card, you may play it and still have another turn, and so on. 
C. If you have a Speed Limit Card, you may play it in front of an opponent, even though your opponent has not yet had a chance to play and thus has no Roll Card exposed. This play starts your opponents' Speed Pile and when he gets a Roll, he must stay at this Speed Limit until he gets an End of Limit Card 
D. If you can't make any one of these plays, you must discard one card, face up, thus starting the discard pile. Discarded cards are out of play for the rest of the hand. 

When the first player has finished his or her turn, the second player starts by drawing a card. As the second player, you may then make any one of the plays already described, with two additional possibilities. If the first player played a Roll Card, you may play a Hazard Card on top of it. If the first player played a Speed Limit Card on you, you may play an End of Limit Card on top of it. 

As the third player, you play as a partner of the first player and don't start any piles of your own. You have the same possible plays as the first and second players. If, however, your partner played a Roll Card or a Right of Way Card, you may play a Distance Card in front of your partner, thus starting the Distance Piles for your team. 

As the fourth player, you play as a partner of the second player and don't start any piles of your own. You have the same possible plays as the first, second, and third players. Play then continues, in turn, until the end of the hand. 

Special Notes: 
A. It's best to keep the Score Cards and Guide Cards on the table so that all the players can refer to them. 
B. When beginning a hand, usually it's better to play a Roll Card to get your distance started rather than playing a Hazard Card against your opponents. 
C. Ordinarily, you must show a Roll Card on your Battle Pile in order to play Distance Cards. The exception is when the Right of Way Card is displayed in your Safety Area. This card allows you to play Distance Cards even if you don't have a Roll Card exposed. 
D. If you can't use a card, don't hold it in your hand. Instead, discard it. For example. a 200-mile card has no value once you've played two of them; and an Out of Gas Card has no value if your opponent has played the Extra Tank Card in his or her Safety Area. 
E. Try to remember which cards have been played. For example: a Spare Tire Card has no value when all the corresponding Flat Tire Cards have been played. 
F. You can play a Speed Limit Card on your opponents' Speed Pile even when there is a Hazard Card displayed on their Battle Pile, and vice versa. 
G. You are allowed to place a Hazard Card directly on top of another Hazard Card that's not yet remedied. But don't expect both hazards to count. Regard only the Hazard Card that's displayed on top of the pile. 
H. Don't forget to take an extra turn each time you play a Safety Card. 
I. Each Coup Fourre earns you 300 points in addition to the 100 points you automatically collect for that same card played as a Safety Card. Therefore, whenever possible, play a Safety Card as a Coup Fourre. However, don't hold out for a Coup Fourre too long. You'll get no credit for a Safety Card that's still in your hand at the end of the game. 

There are two ways to end a hand: 

1 ) when one team completes a trip of exactly 1,000 miles; or 
2) when there are no more cards in the draw pile. In this second case, players must try to play out the remaining cards in their hands. If you complete the trip of 1,000 miles after all the cards in the draw pile are gone, the play is referred to as  

Delayed Action. By completing a trip in this way, you'll score 300 bonus points. 

A game usually will consist of several hands. So total all points for each team at the end of every hand. The team that first scores 5,000 points, wins. If both teams exceed 5,000 points on the same hand, the team with the higher total points wins the game. 

The enclosed score sheets (pdf sample here...) provide spaces for all possible types of scoring. After the first few games, these sheets will not be necessary, and scores may be kept on any piece of paper. 

Two or Three Players: 

In a game of 2 or 3 players, you're on your own. Display your own game piles in front of you. With the following exceptions, playing and scoring are the same as in the four-handed partnership game: 

A. Before the hand is dealt, remove the following cards: 1 Stop, 1 Accident, 1 Out of Gas, 1 Flat Tire, and 1 Speed Limit. 

B. Shorten the distance of a trip from 1,000 miles to 700 miles. 

C. Use the Extension Play: If you are the first to reach exactly 700 miles, you may - if you wish - demand to continue the hand to 1,000 miles. To do this, you must call "Extension" exactly at the time you reach 700. The hand then goes on until someone reaches 1,000 miles or until no one has any cards left. 

a) The first player to reach 1,000 miles scores the usual 400 bonus points for completing the trip. If the hand ends after all the cards have been played without any player reaching 1,000 miles, no one receives the 400 bonus points. 

b) If you are the player who calls "Extension" and are also the first to reach 1,000 miles, add 200 bonus points to the 400 points for completing a trip. If you call "Extension" and someone else reaches 1,000 miles, 200 bonus points is given to each opponent. 

Six Players: 

With the following exceptions, the play of the 6-player game is the same as in the four-handed partnership game: 

A. There are three sets of partners, and they sit as shown in the figure below. 

A & D are partners. B & E are partners. C & F are partners. 

B. Shorten the distance to 700 miles. 

C. Use the Extension Play. (Refer to Rules for 2 or 3 players above.) 

D. Scoring is the same as in the game for 2 or 3 players. 

We will be happy to answer your questions or comments about MILLE BORNES. Write to the Consumer Response Department in the location nearest you: In the U.S.A.: Parker Brothers, P.O. Box 1012, Beverly, MA 0191 5. In the United Kingdom: Parker Games, Owen Street, Coalville, Leicester LE6 In Australia and New Zealand: Parker Games, 104 Bourke Road, Alexandria, N.S.W. 2015.