Mille Bornes

File:Card-mille-1975b-roll.png

Mille Bornes (/ˌmɪl ˈbɔrn/) (French for a thousand milestones, referring to the stone distance markers on many French roads) is a French card game. In the United States, Mille Bornes is manufactured and distributed by Winning Moves Games under license from Hasbro. It was previously produced by Parker Brothers and is commonly available in stores that sell games. There are also several computer-based versions.

Mille Bornes is listed in the GAMES Magazine Hall of Fame.

History

The game was created in 1954 by Frenchman Edmond Dujardin, and was quite similar to the earlier American automotive card game Touring. A key innovation was the addition of the coup-fourré, whereby bonus points are earned by holding back a safety card (such as the puncture-proof tire) until an opponent plays the corresponding hazard card (in this case, the flat tire).

Some Mille Bornes decks are printed in both English and French. The Spanish version Mil Hitos, distributed by Heraclio Fournier, was very popular in Spain during the 1970s. In the Netherlands there is a variant of this game, Stap op, which deals with cycling instead of driving. The hazards and distances are different, but the mechanics of the game are exactly the same.

Playing the game

Object

The premise of Mille Bornes is that the players are in a road race. Each race—or hand—is usually 700 miles (or kilometers) long, but the first player to complete that distance exactly has the option to declare an extension in which case the race becomes 1,000 miles. (In the four-player version, the target distance is 1,000 miles from the start.) The object of the game is to reach 5,000 points, which normally takes several hands.

Deck

Mille Bornes is played with a special deck of cards. There are hazard, remedy, safety, and distance cards. Each hazard is corrected by a corresponding remedy, and is actually prevented from happening in the first place by a corresponding safety. The target distance is reached by playing distance cards.

Note that the Right of Way card is unique in that it protects against both the Speed Limit and Stop hazards.

Hazards
3x	3x	3x	4x	5x
Accident	Out of Gas	Flat Tire	Speed Limit	Stop
Accident	Panne d'essence	Crevé!	Limite de vitesse	Feu rouge
Remedies
6x	6x	6x	6x	14x
Repairs	Gasoline	Spare Tire	End of Limit	Roll
Réparations	Essence	Roue de secours	Fin de limite de vitesse	Roulez
Safeties
1x	1x	1x	1x
Driving Ace	Extra Tank	Puncture- proof	Right of Way
As du volant	Camion citerne	Increvable	Véhicule prioritaire
Distance cards
10x	10x	10x	12x	4x
25 km	50 km	75 km	100 km	200 km

Also included in the deck are nonplayable cards that list the playable cards and summarize the scoring. In some decks, some of these are printed entirely in French.

The Cards

As mentioned above, there are Hazards, Remedies, Safeties and Distances cards.

The Hazards are:

• Accident: Gets a player in an Accident
• Out of Gas: Siphons a player's Gas.
• Flat Tire: Gives players a Flat Tire.
• Stop: Stops players.
• Speed Limit: Limits players to play only 25 or 50 km distance cards.

There are three each of Accident, Out of Gas and Flat Tire in a standard game, there are 5 Stops in a standard game and there are 4 Speed Limits in a standard game.

The Remedies are:

• Repairs: Goes with the Accident
• Gasoline: Goes with Out of Gas
• Spare Tire: Goes with Flat Tire
• Go: Goes with Stop and must be played after fixing a hazard before a player can play any distance with the exception of the Safety Right of Way. (See more below)
• End of Limit: Ends a Speed Limit

There are six each of Repairs, Gasoline, Spare Tire and End of Limit in a standard game. There are fourteen Go cards in a standard game because they are needed more often.

The Safeties are:

• Driving Ace: Protects against Accident.
• Extra Tank: Protects against Out of Gas.
• Puncture Proof: Protects against Flat Tire.
• Right of Way: Protects against Stop and Speed Limit and, when played, eliminates the need for Go cards to be played after fixing other hazards. It is the best card in the deck.

There is one of every safety.

The Distances Cards are:

• 25 Kilometer
• 50 Kilometer
• 75 Kilometer
• 100 Kilometer
• 200 Kilometer

There are ten each of 25 Kilometer, 50 Kilometer and 75 Kilometer cards. There are twelve 100 Kilometer cards and four 200 Kilometer cards.

Play

The deck is shuffled and 6 cards are dealt to each player; the remainder becomes a draw pile and a discard pile forms next to it. Each player's turn begins with a draw of one card and a play of one card, so that each player always holds 6 cards at the end of his turn. If he cannot play he must discard. Discarded cards are dead and cannot be taken for any reason.

Each player (or team) builds a tableau. The tableau is divided into battle, speed, distance, and safety areas; cards in the battle and speed areas are stacked so that only the top card shows. The example shows a typical tableau midway through a game.

Hazards and remedies (with the exception of Speed Limit and End of Limit) are played in the battle area, where a Roll card is shown in the example. Speed Limit and End of Limit cards are played in their own area. Distance cards are played according to value; it is common to play the 200-km cards distinctly, rather than fanned. Safety cards are played along the top of the tableau; note that the horizontal placement of the Extra Tank card in the example has a special significance.

In turn, a player may choose to play one of the following:

• A distance card on his own tableau if a Roll card is showing in his battle area.
• A remedy on top of the corresponding hazard if one is showing in his battle area.
• An End of Limit on top of a Speed Limit if one is showing in his speed area.
• A hazard on top of his opponent's Roll if one is showing and his opponent has not already played the corresponding Safety.
• A safety in his own safety area (at any time).
• A Roll card in his own battle area if a Stop or remedy is showing, or if his battle area is empty. Note that a hazard cannot be played unless one's opponent is moving, except for the Speed Limit.

Once an Accident, Out of Gas, or Flat Tire hazard has been played, and the appropriate remedy card played as a counter, the player must next play a Roll card in order to get moving again.

Playing a safety corrects the corresponding hazard and also protects against future hazards of this type. However, when the safety is played normally, a Roll must still be played before any distance cards. Whenever the safety is played, the same player draws another card immediately and plays again. It is possible to play another safety and another, each time drawing a card before playing again.

A player whose speed is limited (as shown in the example) may only play 25 and 50 km cards. No more than two 200 km cards may be played by any player or team in a single hand.

The Right of Way card both remedies and protects against Stop and Speed Limit hazards; if a player (or team) has played this card then he (or they) need not display a Roll card in order to move; any Stop or Speed Limit showing is removed to the discard pile at the time the Right of Way card is played. However, the player is still vulnerable to other hazards.

Players may always discard, even if they have a legal play available. A player who cannot play in any other way must discard.

Under no circumstances may a distance card be played that would put the player's total over the race goal of 1000 km.

Play continues until either:

• one player (or team) reaches exactly 1000 km in total distance cards, or
• all players have played or discarded all their cards.

Note that play continues after the draw pile is exhausted, each player playing or discarding one card per turn.

Coup-Fourré

In the event that a player holds the corresponding safety at the moment when a hazard is played in his battle area, the player may call "coup-fourré" (a French fencing term for a counter-thrust in which a fencer parries his opponent's thrust and counterattacks in the same maneuver) and immediately play the safety in his own safety area; the safety is placed horizontally (as the Extra Tank is shown in the example). The hazard is removed to the discard pile, revealing the Roll card beneath it. As when any safety is played, the player calling "coup-fourré" draws another card at once and plays again. Play resumes to that player's left, not to that of the one who played the offending hazard; thus any intervening players lose their turns.

Note that because the hazard is removed and not merely corrected by the coup-fourré, a Roll card now shows and distance cards may be played immediately. This is an advantage over playing a safety later (normally), when it merely corrects the hazard and a Roll card is still required in order to move. The exception is the Right of Way card; as soon as it is played (normally or by coup-fourré), the player is considered to be moving (unless he suffers another hazard).

A safety may be played as a coup-fourré only immediately after the offending hazard; as soon as the next player plays or discards, the opportunity is lost.

Extension

Mille means 1,000, and the game is normally played to a total of 1,000 km. In some variations it may be agreed that the goal is 700 km instead. A player reaching this total may choose either to end the hand immediately and collect the appropriate scores for trip completion or to call "extension," in which case the hand continues to a goal of 1,000 km. One must still reach the goal of 700 km exactly either to win the hand or call for extension.

Trip completion itself is worth 400 points in either case; but there is a bonus for the extension itself. Note that it is possible to reach 700 km, call for extension, and fail to reach 1,000 km. If one's opponents reach 1,000 km first, the opponent collects all trip completion scores and bonuses.

Scoring

When a hand ends it is scored with the following points:

Scored by each side
Distance	1	per km traveled
Each safety	100	however played
All 4 safeties	300	in addition to the 100 per Safety (700 total)
Coup-fourré	300	in addition to the 100 scored normally
Scored only by side that completes trip
Trip completed	400	for playing a total of 1000 km
Delayed action	300	for completing the trip after the draw pile is exhausted
Safe trip	300	for completing the trip without playing any 200 km cards
Extension	200	for completing the trip after calling for an Extension
Shutout	500	for completing a trip of 1000 miles before the opponent has played any Distance cards

In a 2-player game, the maximum score that can be made in one hand is 4,600 points. In a standard 4-player game there is no extension, so the maximum score is 4,400. In a 3-player game, two shutout bonuses are achievable, yielding a perfect score of 5,100.

Note that some points are scored even if a side does not complete a trip; it is possible for the completing side to score fewer points than their opponents. If the hand ends by exhaustion rather than by completion, each side still scores its distance and safety points.

According to the printed rules distributed by Parker Brothers, a game continues until one or both sides reaches a cumulative point total of 5,000. If both sides go over 5,000 during the same hand, the higher point total wins the game. When the game is played for fun the exact point total is irrelevant, so long as one is higher. Note that it is possible for the game to end in a tie, in which case the rules are silent.

If the game is played for money, then generally the point difference is paid from the loser to the winner, and every point is significant.

With larger or smaller groups

The game is normally played with 4 players in two teams of two each. Each team shares only one tableau. Either player may make a Coup Fourré in response to a Hazard.

When 4 players are not available, the game may be played with some variations.

2- or 3-player version

Three players play cutthroat, each one for himself. In some versions, a player may only play Hazards on the person to his 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. This version is usually played to 700 kilomters with the Extension option, but the normal goal of 1,000 kilometers 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. It is played to 700 kilometers with the Extension option.

Strategy

As in most card games the most important skill is remembering what cards have been played or discarded. Who has discarded may be quite as important as what.

As in other games of the Rummy family, one may spend many turns discarding while waiting for a needed card. It is vital to spend this time improving one's hand; so one must constantly re-evaluate one's hand to determine which card is most discardable. Often this devolves into a choice between the least of several evils.

By card

Safeties:

• The Right of Way card is the most valuable in the deck. Every effort should be made to delay playing it normally, as it can be played in Coup Fourré to a total of 9 Hazards.
• All Safeties should be retained against the corresponding Hazard, as a Coup Fourré is worth bonus points.
• Safeties may always be played and at any time, so there is no excuse for being caught with one in hand at trip completion.

Remedies:

• There are 3 each of Accident, Out of Gas, and Flat Tire Hazards (2 each if one has been removed before play). When all of one type has been seen, there's no need to keep the corresponding Remedy or Safety in one's hand. The former may be discarded and the latter played normally.

• There are 4 Speed Limit Hazards (or 3 if one has been removed); again, once all have been seen there is no need to keep any End of Limit Remedies. However, the Right of Way should probably be retained.
• There are only 5 Stop cards, but it's not wise to discard Roll cards because you've seen all the Stops. You may still need Rolls in order to get "moving" after another Hazard.
• It's probably wise to retain one of each major Remedy if at all possible; if no corresponding Hazard has been seen, it's essential. It's probably unwise to keep two of the same Remedy and certainly pointless to do so if only one corresponding Hazard remains.
• Discarding a Remedy leads one's opponents to the natural conclusion that one may have the corresponding Safety in hand (or at least another of the same Remedy), thus discouraging them from retaining or playing that Hazard. This opens the door to an element of bluff and the possibility of confusing the other team. If one has a reputation of bluffing then discarding a Remedy may provoke the Hazard, permitting one to Coup Fourré; if one has a reputation for "honesty", then it may be better not to telegraph one's riches by discarding the Remedy.

Hazards:

• Stop and Speed Limit are minor Hazards, the former corrected with a mere Roll and the latter not even entirely "stopping" the opposition. The other, major Hazards are more valuable.
• Retaining two or more of the same Hazard may be dubious. If the corresponding Safety is available to the other team then both Hazards may be rendered useless at a stroke.
• If one's opponents have already played a given Safety then all corresponding Hazards are worthless; if the Safety is unavailable to them then the Hazards gain in value.
• Count played and discarded Remedies. Each increases the value of the corresponding Hazard and of each remaining Remedy of the same type.

Distance:

• Distance cards are numerous and usually should be discarded before other cards. Discard smaller Distance cards first.
• The need to reach the race goal exactly imposes certain restrictions on the combinations that may be played. It's common to reach a Distance total of, say, 975 km and lose the hand while waiting for a final 25 kilometer; any other Distance cards are useless. It may be wise to hold a 25 kilometer against such a possibility.
• Since 100-kilometer cards are relatively common, one may wish to hesitate before playing smaller values unless one also has others in hand. The closer to the end of the hand, the more important this becomes. When the other team seems about ready to complete a trip it's easy to get flustered and play a lone 25 or 50, because that's all one has got; but it might be wiser to wait and see if another 100 is drawn.
• Playing a lone 50-kilometer card requires that one later play one of the following combinations (to arrive at a round point total): one other 50, two 25s, or two 75s. Thus this is fairly safe.
• Playing a lone 25 km requires a later play of: one 75, one 50 and one 25, or three more 25s. Since one may well have discarded several 25s this may be a risky play.
• Playing a lone 75 km requires a later play of one 75 and one 50, or of one 25. Thus this is the most risky Distance play. It's safer to wait until one has a pair of 75s before playing either, especially close to the end.
• It may be better to discard a 75-kilometer before discarding 25s and 50s—because of the above-noted disadvantage and also because a 75 exceeds a possible Speed Limit.
• If a player or team has already played two 200-kilometer cards, then any others are worthless. Likewise, there's no need to keep more than two in hand.

By phase of play

Opening:

One may or may not have a Roll card initially dealt; one may or may not have a Hazard initially dealt; one may or may not have first play. Since the other team's hands are completely unknown at first, the primary determinate of opening strategy is one's aggressiveness.

• If one has first play and a Roll card, it's clearly best to play it.
• If you have first play but no Roll card, look for a Speed Limit card before discarding; it is the only Hazard you can play when your opponent is not "moving".
• Lacking a Roll card, you might be tempted to play Right of Way on first play. Don't. Hold it against possible Coup Fourré as the chances are very good for this card.
• If the other team has first play, or you are forced to discard on first play, then watch discards closely; don't just draw to the Roll.
• You often face the situation where your opponent has played Roll and now it is your turn; you hold both a Roll and one or more Hazards. It's aggressive to play the Hazard; Parker Brothers recommends playing the Roll instead. If you have a major Hazard it may be wise to play it, especially if you are fairly well-off in Remedies and Roll cards generally; your opponent may have to Remedy the Hazard, then play a Roll, by which time you will already have played your Roll and some Distance. If you can only play a minor Hazard it's probably unwise; a single Roll will get your opponent moving again after a Stop, while a Speed Limit may not interfere at all with his coming out with a small Distance card.

Note: Regardless of the Hazard played, your opponent may well Coup Fourré, playing Distance immediately and adding points to the insult. Against this risk is the hope of holding the other team to a Shut Out.

• Until you have played some Distance, you face a potential Shut Out yourself. If your opponent has played Distance, you must bend your efforts to breaking Shut Out ahead of every other consideration.
• Keep a small Distance card in hand when waiting to get "moving". This is better than an End of Limit card; you might see two or three Speed Limits played on your team and not be able to move when you get that Roll. Better to discard the End of Limit or a larger Distance card.

Middle Game:

• Never forget to draw before playing. Who knows? The draw may be the card you need.
• Be alert for Hazards played on your team. It's exasperating to miss one's chance for Coup Fourré.
• If you have large Distance in hand, play it at once instead of an uncertain Hazard. If you have only small Distance then the Hazard is more attractive. Of course, if you know your opponent will have trouble with the Hazard then it's a good play.
• Remember that Speed Limit is a weak card; your opponent may still make good progress 50 km at a time. It's generally unwise to play Speed Limit on a "stopped" opponent; he may Coup Fourré with the Right of Way card even if he cannot then play any Distance.
• Constantly be ready to re-evaluate the relative strengths of the cards you hold in light of those you have seen. Play strong Hazards before weak ones; discard worthless cards before useful ones and cards of lesser use before those more likely to be useful.
• Since there are 3 of each major Hazard (perhaps only 2), it is, relatively speaking, fairly likely that you will face each one at least once. So it is wise to keep a full set of Remedies (or corresponding Safeties) at first. However, with each Hazard seen the risk of taking another of the same Hazard falls—and so does the value of the Remedy.
• If you have corrected a Hazard with a Remedy and have no Roll card, one may play Right of Way normally to get "moving" again and play Distance on the same turn. One forgoes an ordinarily-good chance at Coup Fourré for certain Distance. This is a great way to break a difficult Shut Out.

End of Hand:

• When you near trip completion it is mandatory to take care to go out evenly; going over the trip limit is not allowed. You may want to put together all of the last 200 km in your hand before playing any of it.
• When your opponent is getting ready to go out and you are far from completion you may want to discard Remedies quickly. Your situation is desperate and you will need a lot of Distance to overtake; if you take a Hazard and cannot go at all you may not have lost much.
• Play for fun and play for money imposes different end game strategies. In play for fun, all that matters is exceeding 5000 points; if necessary, exceeding the other team as well. There is no need to take any risks if you can win without them. Playing for money, every point counts and it may be a good gamble to go for the Extension or Coup Fourré.

Extension:

When playing with the possibility of Extension, the decision (when reaching 700 km) whether to go out immediately or call for the Extension is critical. The Extension itself is worth 200 points; there is also the opportunity to score another 300 points' worth of Distance. There is also considerable risk.

Generally, Extension should be used to consolidate one's existing superior position. Lacking overwhelming superiority, Extension may backfire on the caller.

• The safest time to call for Extension is when one is protected against all possible Hazards—by holding at least one appropriate Remedy and one or more Roll cards, by holding or having played the appropriate Safety, or by exhaustion of that Hazard.
• It may be wiser to call an Extension when one's opponent is already facing an intractable Hazard. Holding, say, two Accident cards and the Driving Ace when several Repairs have already been played places one in a strong position for Extension.
• Be careful to avoid Extension unless one has the needed 300 km in hand unless sufficient cards remain in the draw pile.
• Let us say that Blue has played a total of 300 km and is "stopped" due to a Flat Tire when Red reaches 700 km. Red chooses to extend, hoping for an additional 500 points. Before Red reaches 1000 km, Blue corrects the Hazard and rolls on to 900 km. Red completes the trip and scores 500 more points than he would have had he not called for Extension. However, Blue has scored 600 more than he would have; Red faces a 100-point net loss for his Extension call. (However, it is worth considering where you are in the game relative to 5,000 points -- if you are within 500 points of 5,000 and your opponent is well short of it, you win by sacrificing the 100 net points in this example).
• Having an unplayed Safety in one's hand at the time 700 km is reached raises the stakes. One might dare Extension hoping for Coup Fourré. Don't forget, though, to play the Safety normally just before going out.
• It's not enough merely to have appropriate Remedies in case of Hazard; one must also have Roll cards. For this reason, having the Right of Way card in one's favor is a strong indicator of a good possible Extension; conversely, failure to hold this card may be a good reason to decline.
• Successful Extension is demoralizing to the opposition, so an aggressive strategy here may have a payoff beyond the hand.
• The riskiest time to call Extension is when one's opponent has, so far, been Shut Out. The Shut Out is worth 500 points by itself; it would be a shame to lose that advantage. You should be entirely sure of keeping your opponent "stopped" in this case.
• There are other risks, and ways to lose net points: if you have yet to play a 200 mile card, but you plan to or end up doing so to complete the extension, you sacrifice 300 points for giving up your Safe Trip in order to gain 500 points. If your opponent adds 200 or more points during the extension, you risk losing net points.
• The strategic points in this section apply generally to the case of Delayed Action. You may be able to complete a trip before the draw pile runs out, yet continue to discard until you can score the additional 300 points. Do so with care only.

See also

• Touring
• Grass (card game)

External links

• Mille Bournes at SourceFiles.org game description, rules, and strategy notes
• The Mille Bornes Tournament Home Page description and rules
• Milestone on irc.globalgamers.net, Milestone on Internet Relay Chat.

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