What grid do you prefer for overland maps?

[Sunseeker]

For overland maps I prefer no grid. I do this because as a DM, the distance between Kingdom A and Kingdom B is usually measured in average travel time, not distance. The time is the relevant factor of the map, because time determines how often things are to change, and when combined with terrain how likely or unlikely you are to be attacked. A heavily wooded forest will take longer to traverse and have a higher rate of attack. The actual distance is unimportant. A flat plains will take less time to traverse, and short of horseman hordes, will have less chance of attack.

To me, those are the only meaningful functions of overland travel. "How long and how dangerous?"

 

[Lanefan]

What about a classic pirate treasure map depicting only an island, a dotted line trail marker and X marks the spot for treasure? Map or not a map?

Not a map in the technical sense, as it's missing both scale and direction.

It's more like a sketch or drawing, really.

 

[Lanefan]

For overland maps I prefer no grid. I do this because as a DM, the distance between Kingdom A and Kingdom B is usually measured in average travel time, not distance.

Agreed.

However to get a reasonable estimate of the average travel time one needs to more or less know the distance being travelled, along with the terrain, existence and-or condition of a road or trail or track, relative amount of expected danger, and so forth. Oh, and means of travel (foot, flight, horse, etc.) and-or means of shortcutting travel e.g. does the party have short-term fly spells to help them pass the most serious obstyacles.

The time is the relevant factor of the map, because time determines how often things are to change, and when combined with terrain how likely or unlikely you are to be attacked. A heavily wooded forest will take longer to traverse and have a higher rate of attack. The actual distance is unimportant. A flat plains will take less time to traverse, and short of horseman hordes, will have less chance of attack.

To me, those are the only meaningful functions of overland travel. "How long and how dangerous?"

I usually express the result in terms of time - e.g. the first time they make the trip I tell the players it's usually 6 days by foot from Torcha to Karnos - but to arrive at that number I have to know the distance (about 120 miles), and then filter it through terrain (flat or gently rolling most of the time), existence of a road (yes, a good one), amount of caution required (little to none, it's safe open farmland just about the whole way) to conclude they'll be able to do about 20 miles a day without pushing it unless they run into some seriously nasty weather.

Knowing the distance is also really useful should they later do the same journey by other means (flight, dragonback, fast horse, tied up in a slow-moving slavers' cart, etc.) and they or I need to know how long it'll take.

Lanefan

 

[Psikerlord#]

No grid for me, just a scale, and half the time I will guesstimate it anyway - "it's about 6 days march if you go the long way round by road, or more directly through the dark forest it's 4 days. Which way do you want to go?"

 

[Imaculata]

What about a classic pirate treasure map depicting only an island, a dotted line trail marker and X marks the spot for treasure? Map or not a map?

Classic pirate treasure maps do tend to depict a compass rose, so they do indicate directions.

 

[Hriston]

I'm trying out something a little different with using a hex-grid for a 5e game I'm starting. The diameter of each hex will depend on the difficulty of the terrain, which will be randomly generated as it's explored, and the travel-pace chosen by the party as it's departing the previous hex. The range of possible diameters I've chosen are gauged to equal a half-day of travel, placing all encounters, campsites, and locations of interest at the center of the hex in which they appear, and minimizing the generation of terrain for spaces in which no such elements are located.

 

[Imaculata]

What I did for my 3.5 pirate campaign, was put a square grid on the world map, for the purpose of calculating the distance between two locations. Then when the players arrive on a new location, I show them a zoomed in map of it, again with a square grid. But because my campaign is very exploration based, each square represents an unexplored part of the zoomed-in map that would require 1 hour of exploring.

Each time the players explore a new square, I let my random tables decide what they encounter there. And so the map is gradually filled in with exciting new locations. This can reveal strongholds, ancient cities, dungeons, geographical features, lairs, and various environmental obstacles, amongst other things.

 

[Blue]

If it's not a hex grid, it's not an RPG overland map! Get off my lawn!

While, in reality, I haven't used a grid - hex or square - for any mapping in years. Not saying it couldn't be useful, just haven't bothered.

 

[Sunseeker]

Agreed.

However to get a reasonable estimate of the average travel time one needs to more or less know the distance being travelled, along with the terrain, existence and-or condition of a road or trail or track, relative amount of expected danger, and so forth. Oh, and means of travel (foot, flight, horse, etc.) and-or means of shortcutting travel e.g. does the party have short-term fly spells to help them pass the most serious obstyacles.

I usually express the result in terms of time - e.g. the first time they make the trip I tell the players it's usually 6 days by foot from Torcha to Karnos - but to arrive at that number I have to know the distance (about 120 miles), and then filter it through terrain (flat or gently rolling most of the time), existence of a road (yes, a good one), amount of caution required (little to none, it's safe open farmland just about the whole way) to conclude they'll be able to do about 20 miles a day without pushing it unless they run into some seriously nasty weather.

Knowing the distance is also really useful should they later do the same journey by other means (flight, dragonback, fast horse, tied up in a slow-moving slavers' cart, etc.) and they or I need to know how long it'll take.

Lanefan

I don't worry about that too much. As [MENTION=42582]pemerton[/MENTION] was talking about in the "why worldbuilding is bad" thread, attempts like these to super-rationalize the world cause something of a loss of the fantastical elements.

 

[gamerprinter]

I voted "other" to state, I don't really care what grid is used on overland maps - whatever the user of the map or the publisher I am designing a map for wants. For my games a bar graph showing X amount of inches equals Y amount of miles is just fine for me without a grid at all. But placing a square grid (which is easier to work with) or a hex grid - both work just fine. Just because some past regional maps had hexes, and some people have a nostalgic preferences for them - that's fine for me, either way or no way. As long as there something for scale, I don't care which scale method is used.