Storisende intricately merges the two most prominent goals in the realm of abstract strategy games, elimination and territory. It does so with uniform material and a simple unified behaviour. This unique characteristic wasn't intended and not wholly foreseen, but it emerged during play.
Players alternately move pieces. A piece can be a single man or a mono-colored stack and moves as far as it is high in a straight line in one of the six main directions. Pieces may merge or split and they capture opponent's pieces by replacement, regardless of size, removing the opponent's piece.
The actions of both players inherently lead to a division of the board in a number of territories, separated by a contiguous Wall. Play takes place down in the territories as well as up on the Wall. The fight on the Wall is existential: it's all about eliminating the opponent. But whoever dominates it has the means to claim territories of take them from the opponent afterwards.
Moving is not compulsory and the game ends when both players pass on successive turns. The winner is then the player with the most territory, counted as cells of the board. Draws are possible but not frequent.
-description from designer