Category : A Collection of Games for DOS and Windows
Archive   : MILLE.ZIP
Filename : MILLE.DOC

MILLEBRN is a french card game, sold by the name of `Mille Bornes'
by Parker Brothers. The instructions for playing the game in brief
follows:

You are dealt six cards from a large deck containing a number of
different cards, categorized into Mileage, Hazards, Remedies, Safeties,
and Roll cards. You are about to begin a race, competing with the
computer in a race of 700 Kilometers.

You start at a traffic signal, awaiting the "Go" signal, which
you yourself cause by playing a "Roll" card from your hand or that
you drew. There are many "Roll" cards (by that name) in the
deck, and are the most often used cards. There's only one type of
Roll card (namely, "Roll").

After you are rolling, you may play mileage cards (either "25", "50",
"75", "100", or "200") to approach the 700-Kilometer finish line.
Note that you can't play a mileage card that takes you past the
finish line, like a 50 when you've gone 675 Kilometers.

You or your opponent can play Hazards on you while you're rolling
("Stop", "Speed Limit 50", "Out of Gas", "Flat Tire", or "Accident").

A Hazard can be a bonus for you if you hold the corresponding Safety
("Right of Way" for Speed Limit 50 and Stop, "Extra Tank" for Out of Gas,
"Puncture-Proof" for Flat Tire, and "Driving Ace" for Accident). In this
case, you play the card with a "Coup Fourr‚", french fencing term for
"counter-thrust", and not only become unaffected by the hazard (for the
remainder of the hand), but also getting 300 bonus points for the play
PLUS get an extra turn.

In the event you don't hold the Safety you need (there's only 1 of each
safety in the deck), you must wait to draw it (when played afterwards, it
cannot be "coup-fourr‚d"), or draw a Remedy card: Roll for a Stop Hazard,
End of Limit for Speed Limit 50, Gasoline for Out of Gas, Spare Tire for Flat,
and Repairs for Accident. You may of course play a remedy from your hand if
you're holding it. Note that the Roll card must be played after playing
Gasoline, Spare Tire, and Repair cards, unless you've played a "Right of Way"
card earlier.

Safety cards may be played any time - holding on to them for possible Coup
Fourr‚s is advantageous, but when your opponent is close to reaching 700 or
you have the corresponding Hazard played on you, you should play it. A safety
will not put you in ROLL status if you play it when you've played the
corresponding Remedy and are waiting for a Roll card.

Safeties will always give you an extra turn, so when one is played in a
Coup Fourr‚, or simply as a Remedy (or any other reason), you get 100
points for playing it (plus appropriate bonuses, if any), and another
turn.

If you cannot play a Mileage card, and cannot play a Hazard (Hazards cannot
be played on anyone not rolling), and have no Remedy or Safety to play, choose
a card and discard it. Best cards to discard are those that can't be used, for
example a Mileage card of no use, a Remedy for a Safety you have, Roll
cards and End of Limit when you have Right of Way, Hazards that your
opponent has played a Safety for, and lastly duplicate cards.

Special notes:

You cannot play more than two (2) 200 Mileage cards in a hand.
The hand is over when the deck is exhausted before any player has 700 Km.
Speed Limit 50 doesn't stop you - only limits the value of the Mileage cards
you can play.





Scoring:

The game is played in a number of hands, each hand played with six (6)
cards plus a card the player draws, and ends when a player has reached 700 Km
or the deck runs out. The game ends at 5000 points; whoever reaches or
exceeds this (at the end of a hand). Ties cause tie-breaker hands to
be played.

The accumulated Mileage each player has at the end of a hand is added to his
score, on a point-for-mileage basis (50 for 50 Km, etc.). Safeties score 100
each when played, and 700 if all 4 have been played by the same player.
Coup Fourr‚s score 300 points each. Players finishing their hand with 700 Km
get a Trip Completed bonus of 400. Any player finishing 700 Km and also
playing NO 200 Km cards get a Safe Trip bonus of 300. A player finishing
700 Km, whose opponent has scored 0 Km, gets a Shut Out bonus of 500.

Running totals and scoring are all kept by the computer. Those who play
MILLEBRN may swear that it cheats as it plays, but it does not, and can
be beaten by anyone with luck, good strategy, and timing.




Operation of MILLEBRN

The program is, for the most part, self-prompting and has easy to
understand error messages, and a good display format. The tableau
for both players is drawn on the screen, showing Roll status, mileage,
Speed Limit status, and safeties played. The player's hand is shown with
numeric markers [eg: Roll (6)] identifying the cards in hand (1-6) and
the drawn card is named as such, and suffixed with a (7). At your turn,
you are asked `Action to take ?' to which simply respond `P' to play a
card, `C' to Coup Fourr‚, and `D' to discard. After responding `P', `C', or
`D', you'll be asked `which card ?' to which you need only press 1 through 7 to
indicate the corresponding card. If you chose the wrong action and change your
mind before typing the digit 1-7, press the `Esc' key on the keyboard to get
the `Action' prompt. The computer will judge the action, make its play (or
report a mistake if you make one), and display the new tableau, or go to
the scoring section if applicable.

MILLEBRN's logic (what makes it tough to beat) was written by Pete Ridley. Its
coding in noncolor interpretive BASIC has been published in Creative Computing
Magazine by its current author, Richard Kaapke. The faster compiled version,
adding color and some other minor cosmetic changes, was done by Thomas J. Walsh.
We hope you enjoy it, and it may just make you a better Mille Bornes player!