Will you be the first to cover 1000 kilometres on holiday in France? In 1000KM – the board game (Mille Bornes) players try to be the first to cover 621.37 miles on the French roads. Will you pass the most milestones and win the race or will you take the Paris ring road on Black Saturday (samedi noir) and get stuck in a huge traffic jam?
1000KM the board game is an adaptation of the classic card game Mille Bornes (which in itself is an adapted version of the classic game Touring). The name Mille Bornes is derived from the classic milestones that mark distances on French roads. If you pass the most milestones in this game, you win the race, but beware: other players can thwart you with car wrecks, traffic lights, speed limits and flat tyres.
On a large shiny game board, players place their coloured cars and draw a hand of cards. Each turn, a player draws one card and plays one card (if possible). With distance cards, players can move around. Red hazard cards allow players to hinder each other. If you are hindered by a red card, you can only remove this hazard with the matching green card. There are also dark green cards which protect a player from certain dangers. If a player plays such a card, the player may place the corresponding protective device on his or her car. If a player cannot play a card, this player must pass and discard a card.
The game is over as soon as a player reaches the finish line or when the draw pile is empty. The player who reached the finish line or finished furthest, wins the game!
1000KM is a classic children’s game where luck plays a huge role. The tactic lies in keeping or playing the right cards at the right time. The fun for young players is mainly in the “bullying” element, where players can block each other. This is childishly fun, but the game does not last too long for the “bullying” to become frustrating. 1000KM the board game remains, just like Mille Bornes and Touring, above all a children’s game, but it is a step up from games such as Candyland or Pacheesi.
