Area control
Area control (sometimes called area majority) is a mechanic where players compete to have the most units, tokens, or influence in defined regions of a shared board. Whoever holds the most in a region at a scoring step earns points or rewards tied to that region.
Why it matters
Area control creates direct conflict without (necessarily) eliminating pieces — it's "I have more here than you" rather than "I attacked your army." It rewards spreading thin vs going deep, and timing matters as much as raw force.
Example
Risk is the classic dial — control continents, score bonus armies. Modern area-control games like El Grande add scoring rounds where the player with the most cubes in a region takes first place, second-most takes second, and so on.