Mille Bournes

Mille Bournes (or Mille Bornes) is a French card game. In the United States, Mille Bornes is published by Parker Brothers and is commonly available in game stores, as well as toy stores and department stores.

Some Mille Bournes decks are printed in both English and French

The premise of Mille Bournes is that you are in a road race with the other players. Each "race", or hand, is usually 700 miles long, but the winning player has the option to declare an extension in which case the race becomes 1000 miles, hence the name of the game which means "one thousand milestones". The object of the game is to reach 5000 points, which normally takes several hands.

There are several types of cards in a Mille Bournes deck.

• Distance cards represent mileage accumulated in the race. There are cards for distances of 25, 50, 75, 100 or 200 miles. At most two 200s may be played per player per hand.

• Hazard cards represent the hazards faced during the race. These card are played by you on your opponents or by your opponents on you. While under hazard conditions, you are unable to accumulate miles.
  • Out of Gas
  • Flat Tire
  • Accident
  • Speed Limit - Limits the size of distance cards that may be played to 25 or 50
  • Stop

• Remedy cards are used to get back on the road after a hazard.
  • Gasoline - To recover from Out of Gas
  • Spare Tire - To recover from Flat Tire
  • Repairs - To recover from Accident
  • End of Speed Limit
  • Roll - To begin rolling, or accumulating mileage, after a hazard remedy or a stop.

Safety cards are four special cards that can be played to avoid a certain type of hazard for the remainder of the game. These cars are also worth 100 points.

• Extra Tank - You'll never be out of gas!
• Puncture-Proof tires - No more flat tires!
• Driving Ace - No more accidents.
• Right of Way - You are immune to speed limits or stops.

If, after a hazard card has been played against one player, that player immediately plays the appropriate safety card to prevent the hazard, the player has achieved a coup fourré for a 300 point bonus. coup fourré is a French fencing term that means "counter-thrust".

Table of contents

1 Scoring 2 4 player version 3 3 player version 4 2 player version 5 6 player version 6 Strategy

Scoring

The hand ends when a player reaches 1000 exactly; going over is not allowed. If the entire stock has been drawn, each player must still play or discard one card per turn. It is possible to win after the stock is exhausted.

• Each player scores the mileage they played.
• There is a 100 point bonus per safety, with a 300 point bonus for playing all four. All four safeties scores 700 total.
• Each coup forre scores 300 points, as indicated above.
• There is a 300 point bonus for "safe trip", playing no 200s.
• There is a 400 point bonus for winning the hand.
• There is a 300 point bonus for winning the hand after the stock was exhausted, called "delayed action".
• There is a 500 point bonus for shutting out your opponent, meaning that he played no mile cards for the entire hand.
• There is a 200 point bonus for a successful "extension".

The entire game is normally played to 5000 points.

4 player version

Four players normally play as two teams of two. In a "coup fourré" situation, either teammate may make the coup, even if it isn't their turn.

This version is usually played to the full 1000 points with no extension rule. But, an extension rule may also be used.

3 player version

Three players play cutthroat, each for themselves. A player may only play hazards on the person to their left.

Some rulebooks say that one of each hazard should be removed, since not having a partner makes it harder to hold a full set of remedies. In the 3 player version, a player will only have the opportunity to draw 1/3 of the deck, compared with 1/2 in the 4-player version.

This version is usually played to 700 points with the extension rule. But the 1000 point version is also playable.

2 player version

As in the 3-player version, some hazards should be removed.

This version is usually played to 700 points with the extension rule. But the 1000 point version is also playable.

6 player version

This is theoretically possible as two teams of three or three teams of two, but isn't really practical.

Strategy

The most important skill is remembering what has been played. There is no point in holding two spare tires when there is only one flat tire unplayed.

In the 4 player team version, it is important to be aware of what your partner is holding. It is useful to have an understanding with your partner about what discarding a remedy means. Most logical, discarding a remedy tells partner that it is safe to discard the remedy (either because you have the unplayed safety or a surplus of that remedy).

Don't get within 25 points of the winning number (1000 or 700) unless you have a 25 in your hand. You should try to stay 100 or 200 points away, so that more combinations of miles allow a win. It may pay to hold back a 25 or 50 so you have more winning combinations as you near the goal.

Don't try for delayed action or safe trip unless you see that your opponent has trouble dealing with a hazard. For example, if you have two flat tires, the puncture proof tire and three spare tires have been discarded, it may pay to go for a safe trip or delayed win.