Rules & strategy
Six straight rays leave every tower. Each ray stops at the first occupied hex, including that hex. A legal target needs at least one Amber ray. Its new height equals the number of Amber rays reaching it.
To replace any tower (even your own), new height must be strictly greater. The ivory crystal starts at height 2 and belongs to neither player.
Occupied hexes belong to their tower owner. An empty hex belongs to whoever sees it with more towers; ties are unclaimed. Stack height does not increase ray strength.
You and Teal each act once per round. Higher territory wins after the selected round limit, or if neither player can move. Passing spends your turn. Blocking a rival ray can be stronger than capturing a tower!
Compact edition: a 37-hex board, fixed openings and a round limit replace the original Tumbleweed setup, pie rule and two-pass ending. The local rival uses a short tactical evaluation, not championship play.