Losing Mille Bornes' instructions and rules can be harrowing if you've forgotten how to play the game. Thankfully, you can find the instructions for this French card racing game online easily. You can even bookmark or print the instructions, so you have them for the future.
Mille Bornes Contents and Cards
Milles Borne is a road race card game. There are 112 cards involved in the game. While older sets have a tray, some of the newer sets do not.
Distance Cards
Distance cards include the mileages of 25, 50, 75, 100, and 200 miles. You use distance cards to gauge if you've won the hand or game. Your goal is to reach 1,000 miles per hand and be the first person or team to score 5,000 points.
Hazard Cards
Eighteen hazards cards are in the deck meant to slow down your opponent.
- 3 accident
- 3 flat tire
- 3 out of gas
- 4 speed limit
- 5 stops
These cards are your offensive cards that temporarily limit your opponent from going any further. You play them on the opponent's drive pile.
Remedy Cards
With the hazards, there are also remedies to the hazards. You have 38 in total.
- 6 spare tires
- 6 repairs
- 6 end of limit
- 6 gasoline
- 14 roll
You use these cards offensively to deal with the hazard cards. You play these on the battle pile to overcome a hazard and more toward that 1,000 miles.
Safety Cards
Safety cards are those which prevent a hazard from ever happening in the hand of the game. There are 4 of them in total.
- 1 extra tank
- 1 driving ace
- 1 puncture-proof
- 1 right of way
These cards are played in the safety area and disable a hazard card. They also help you to make miles in the game.
Not Used in Play Cards
Other cards are included in the game but are not used. Two scorecards in English, one scorecard in French, two card guides in English, and one card guide in French are meant to aid scoring and understanding of the cards as you play.
Card Piles
As you play the game of Mille Bornes, you are going to be creating card piles to help you move the miles toward winning and for blocking your opponents. The 4 different piles include.
- Speed Pile - holds your limits and end of limit cards
- Distance Pile - has your distance cards and are arranged by number
- Battle Pile - hazards and anti-hazards
- Safety Card Area - where you play the safety cards
Now that you've got the basics of the setup down, let's dive right into gameplay and rules.
Basic Mille Bornes Rule and Instructions
The game is for two to six players. If you are playing four or six players, then there are two or three teams of two respectively. Two, three, or five players have each participant on their own.
- The initial step in the Milles Borne instructions is to first select a partner (if playing in teams) and then a dealer.
- Remove the cards not used in the game.
- The dealer gives each player six cards; all face down.
- The rest of the cards go into a draw pile.
- Once all the cards are dealt, everyone can look at their cards.
- The player on the dealer's left goes first.
- Remember that you hold six cards in your hands at all times.
How to Play Mille Borne
Learn how each person takes their turn on each in Mille Borne.
First Player's Turn
As the first player, you have four options to lay down a card.
- Roll cards (green light) start your battle pile. Your turn is finished, and the next player goes.
- You can play a safety card and take another turn.
- Speed limit cards can be placed on your first turn even though your opponent hasn't started a pile yet. When your opponent gets a roll card, they must stay at the limit until that person gets an end of limit card.
- Unfortunately, if you can't play anything, you simply discard something, and your turn ends.
Second Player's Turn
As the second player, you have the same four options, plus the following:
- Laying a hazard card on the first player if they laid down a roll card.
- Placing an end of limit card if a speed limit card was played.
Playing With Teams
If you are playing partners, then you play cards on the table with your partner; you don't have any piles of your own at any time. If you are playing every person for themself, everyone should have a set of piles in front of them.
Coupe Fourre
One special maneuver is called Coup Fourre. When a hazard card is played on your battle pile, you have the option of countering the attack with the corresponding safety card immediately. This not only gives you another turn but also 300 points instead of 100.
Points
Each team is allowed to score points. Miles are scored one point per mile.
- You also get 100 points per safety card played. If the same person or team plays all four safety cards, there is a bonus of 300 points.
- Each Coup Fourre nets you an additional 300 points.
- The team that reaches 1,000 miles first gets a bonus of 400 points.
- If a team or person completes the 1,000 miles after all the draw cards are gone, 300 extra points are given.
- If you played a hand without using a 200-mile card, then you receive 300 points.
- A shut-out bonus of 500 points if you complete a hand before anyone plays any distance cards.
Understand the Mille Bornes Rules
Mille Bornes' instructions are hard to remember sometimes, especially with the unique pile configuration. However, once you learn the rules and play them often, then Mille Bornes is a fun game for families and get-togethers with friends.
