Mille Bournes

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.

• 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
  • 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're 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".