mille - play Mille Bornes
mille [file]
mille plays a two-handed game reminiscent of the Parker
Brother's game of
Mille Bornes with you. The rules are described below. If a
file name is
given on the command line, the game saved in that file is
started.
When a game is started up, the bottom of the score window
will contain a
list of commands. They are:
P Pick a card from the deck. This card is placed in
the `P' slot
in your hand.
D Discard a card from your hand. To indicate which
card, type the
number of the card in the hand (or ``P'' for the
just-picked
card) followed by a <RETURN> or <SPACE>. The <RETURN> or <SPACE>
is required to allow recovery from typos, which can
be very expensive.
U Use a card. The card is again indicated by its number, followed
by a <RETURN> or <SPACE>.
O Toggle ordering the hand. By default off, if turned
on it will
sort the cards in your hand appropriately. This is
not recommended
for the impatient on slow terminals.
Q Quit the game. This will ask for confirmation.
S Save the game in a file. If the game was started
from a file,
you will be given an opportunity to save it to the
same file. If
you don't wish to, or you did not start from a file,
you will be
asked for the file name. If you type a <RETURN>
without a name,
the save will be terminated and the game resumed.
R Redraw the screen from scratch. The command ^L
(control-L) will
also work.
W Toggle window type. This switches the score window
between the
startup window (with all the command names) and the
end-of-game
window. Using the end-of-game window saves time by
eliminating
the switch at the end of the game to show the final
score. Recommended
for hackers and other miscreants.
If you make a mistake, an error message will be printed on
the last line
of the score window, and a bell will beep.
At the end of each hand or game, you will be asked if you
wish to play
another. If not, it will ask you if you want to save the
game. If you
do, and the save is unsuccessful, play will be resumed as if
you had said
you wanted to play another hand/game. This allows you to
use the ``S''
command to reattempt the save.
Here is some useful information. The number in parentheses
after the
card name is the number of that card in the deck:
Hazard Repair Safety
Out of Gas (2) Gasoline (6) Extra Tank (1)
Flat Tire (2) Spare Tire (6) Puncture Proof (1)
Accident (2) Repairs (6) Driving Ace (1)
Stop (4) Go (14) Right of Way (1)
Speed Limit (3) End of Limit (6)
Mileage
25 - (10), 50 - (10), 75 - (10), 100 - (12), 200 - (4)
Object
The point of this game is to get a total of 5000 points in
several hands.
Each hand is a race to put down exactly 700 miles before
your opponent
does. Beyond the points gained by putting down milestones,
there are
several other ways of making points.
Overview [Toc] [Back]
The game is played with a deck of 101 cards. Distance cards
represent a
number of miles traveled. They come in denominations of 25,
50, 75, 100,
and 200. When one is played, it adds that many miles to the
player's
trip so far this hand. Hazard cards are used to prevent
your opponent
from putting down Distance cards. They can only be played
if your opponent
has a Go card on top of the Battle pile. The cards are
Out of Gas,
Accident, Flat Tire, Speed Limit, and Stop. Remedy cards
fix problems
caused by Hazard cards played on you by your opponent. The
cards are
Gasoline, Repairs, Spare Tire, End of Limit, and Go. Safety
cards prevent
your opponent from putting specific Hazard cards on you
in the first
place. They are Extra Tank, Driving Ace, Puncture Proof,
and Right of
Way, and there is only one of each in the deck.
Board Layout [Toc] [Back]
The board is split into several areas. From top to bottom,
they are:
SAFETY AREA (unlabeled): This is where the safeties
will be
placed as they are played.
HAND These are the cards in your hand.
BATTLE This is the Battle pile. All the Hazard
and Remedy
Cards are played here, except the Speed
Limit and End
of Limit cards. Only the top card is
displayed, as
it is the only effective one.
SPEED The Speed pile. The Speed Limit and End
of Limit
cards are played here to control the
speed at which
the player is allowed to put down miles.
MILEAGE Miles are placed here. The total of the
numbers
shown here is the distance traveled so
far.
Play [Toc] [Back]
The first pick alternates between the two players. Each
turn usually
starts with a pick from the deck. The player then plays a
card, or if
this is not possible or desirable, discards one. Normally,
a play or
discard of a single card constitutes a turn. If the card
played is a
safety, however, the same player takes another turn immediately.
This repeats until one of the players reaches 700 miles or
the deck runs
out. If someone reaches 700, they have the option of going
for an
Extension, which means that the play continues until someone
reaches 1000
miles.
Hazard and Remedy Cards [Toc] [Back]
Hazard Cards are played on your opponent's Battle and Speed
piles. Remedy
Cards are used for undoing the effects of your opponent's
nastiness.
Go (Green Light) must be the top card on
your Battle
pile for you to play any mileage, unless you have
played the Right of Way card (see below).
Stop is played on your opponent's Go card to
prevent them
from playing mileage until they play a
Go card.
Speed Limit is played on your opponent's Speed
pile. Until they
play an End of Limit they can only play
25 or 50
mile cards, presuming their Go card allows them to
do even that.
End of Limit is played on your Speed pile to nullify
a Speed
Limit played by your opponent.
Out of Gas is played on your opponent's Go card.
They must
then play a Gasoline card, and then a
Go card before
they can play any more mileage.
Flat Tire is played on your opponent's Go card.
They must
then play a Spare Tire card, and then a
Go card before
they can play any more mileage.
Accident is played on your opponent's Go card.
They must
then play a Repairs card, and then a Go
card before
they can play any more mileage.
Safety Cards [Toc] [Back]
Safety cards prevent your opponent from playing the corresponding Hazard
cards on you for the rest of the hand. It cancels an attack
in progress,
and always entitles the player to an extra turn.
Right of Way Prevents your opponent from playing
both Stop and
Speed Limit cards on you. It also
acts as a permanent
Go card for the rest of the
hand, so you
can play mileage as long as there is
not a Hazard
card on top of your Battle pile. In
this case only,
your opponent can play Hazard
cards directly
on a Remedy card other than a Go
card.
Extra Tank When played, your opponent cannot
play an Out of
Gas on your Battle Pile.
Puncture Proof When played, your opponent cannot
play a Flat Tire
on your Battle Pile.
Driving Ace When played, your opponent cannot
play an Accident
on your Battle Pile.
Distance Cards [Toc] [Back]
Distance cards are played when you have a Go card on your
Battle pile, or
a Right of Way in your Safety area and are not stopped by a
Hazard Card.
They can be played in any combination that totals exactly
700 miles, except
that you cannot play more than two 200 mile cards in
one hand. A
hand ends whenever one player gets exactly 700 miles or the
deck runs
out. In that case, play continues until either someone
reaches 700, or
neither player can use any cards in his hand. If the trip
is completed
after the deck runs out, this is called Delayed Action.
Coup Fourre [Toc] [Back]
This is a French fencing term for a counter-thrust move as
part of a parry
to an opponent's attack. In current French colloquial
language it
means a sneaky, underhand blow. In Mille Bornes, it is used
as follows:
If an opponent plays a Hazard card, and you have the corresponding Safety
in your hand, you play it immediately, even before you draw.
This immediately
removes the Hazard card from your Battle pile, and
protects you
from that card for the rest of the game. This gives you
more points (see
Scoring below).
Scoring [Toc] [Back]
Scores are totalled at the end of each hand, whether or not
anyone completed
the trip. The terms used in the Score window have
the following
meanings:
Milestones Played: Each player scores as many miles
as they
played before the trip ended.
Each Safety: 100 points for each safety in the
Safety area.
All 4 Safeties: 300 points if all four safeties
are played.
Each Coup Fourre: 300 points for each Coup Fourre
accomplished.
The following bonus scores can apply only to the winning
player:
Trip Completed: 400 points bonus for completing the
trip to 700
or 1000.
Safe Trip: 300 points bonus for completing the
trip without
using any 200 mile cards.
Delayed Action: 300 points bonus for finishing after
the deck was
exhausted.
Extension: 200 points bonus for completing a
1000 mile trip.
Shut-Out: 500 points bonus for completing the
trip before
your opponent played any mileage
cards.
Running totals are also kept for the current score for each
player for
the hand (Hand Total), the game (Overall Total), and number
of games won
(Games).
Ken Arnold
(The game itself is a product of Parker Brothers, Inc.)
OpenBSD 3.6 June 1, 1994
[ Back ] |
