But it is a great deal of fun, is easy to learn, and was on the shelf of many baby boomers as they were growing up. The card-based system makes Mille Bornes, in many ways, the precursor of the more modern card racing games, such as Championship Stockcar Racing or Roadkill. Mille Bornes was a popular French game brought to the U.S., in 1962, by Parker Brothers.
Players play cards that either cause their journey to progress or delay the other driver.
The French language names for the cards provide a colorful backdrop, but no knowledge of French is required. Each player is dealt a hand of six cards, with the remainder placed in a draw pile. Play begins with the player on the dealer's left, and proceeds clockwise. It is by playing these cards that a team accumulates the 1,000 mile distance needed to win a hand. A hand ends when a team accumulates exactly 1,000 miles, or the draw deck is exhausted.