Overworld maps for players, how big/small do you go?

[Zhorn]

So recently I've been putting in some time on setting up my Foundry VTT to fun a more sandbox style game.
Normally for my physical games I just have a single big laminated poster of Faerûn, but with the fancy tools I have access to for online games I'm putting in some more effort on the map front.

Ran into a problem when it came to size, as putting in my usual map and trying for a 1 mile per hex scale crashed the program (it's a big map, not going to blame it there). It can handle 3 miles per hex, but as I want to be a little more precise that's too large a margin of error for my goals.
For the best really, forces me to cut the map down into regions, which will be more manageable anyway, but trying to work out what size regions to cut it into.

One option I started I on first was to look at generically large sections

Spoiler: Larger Region

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But part way into doing my measurements I started to wonder about doing the maps by political boundaries instead

Spoiler: State Regions

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Not looking for recommendations of programs, I have all that sorted to my tastes.
Just wanting to know what size/scale other DMs have used, especially the ones who DON'T fast-forward and time-skip over travel. Overland travel and wilderness survival tends to feature a prominent position in my games, so the hex scale I'm working with is locked in. Just looking at map sizes.

[Xervous]

I generally go with whatever feels relevant for the time. Having the big map I can cut it any way I please in a minute and have a new scene on hand in two. Something like 150% to 350% their expected travel capabilities for a single session helps keep things focused.

[Imbalance]

First I've seen that political map. That would have been so much more helpful than the one in SCAG, or better yet, in addition to it.

For my purposes, 5 mile hexes have been sufficient. I actually still have the Phandalin region map pinned up, and my players have their more detailed hand drawn map that extends just slightly beyond that area, and I have a few more handouts of dubious accuracy for them to acquire as needed. And I think that's the way I prefer it - an overall reference for the basic shape of the land and the few key points, and when they get curious about a new place they can buy a local map that might be more detailed and that they'll be free to add details themselves. As far as how large, I'm not married to the scale, and until they need to see a much larger scope of the continent I think that keeping it to these bordering regional locales is fine.

What I'd really like to find is some plain B&W maps to pilfer and print at any portion and scale as I like. Why every artist insists that their cartography has to be on coffee stained parchment is beyond me.

[Zhorn]

What I'd really like to find is some plain B&W maps to pilfer and print at any portion and scale as I like. Why every artist insists that their cartography has to be on coffee stained parchment is beyond me.

Sounds like you might want this
https://imgur.com/r/dndnext/J5fDX


Edit:
Ah... beans
All that work I put into the larger region maps are still too big for the 1mile hex scale I was aiming for.
Whelp, will hold onto those for the 4 or 6 mile stuff, but chances are they're just going into longterm storage, as they're not all that much better than the full continent map I already have at 10 mile hex scale (that one can go down to 3, but is rather slow to load at that size).

Looks like the political map will be the way to go.
Many images to make, but at least they don't take that long each.
Will just prioritize the ones closest to the starting area first, build out from there.

[NRSASD]

5 mile hexes is what I use. Maps are typically 200, 300 miles across.

[Imbalance]

Sounds like you might want this
https://imgur.com/r/dndnext/J5fDX

Oh, this is outstanding. Huge thanks.

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Imbalance
First I've seen that political map. That would have been so much more helpful than the one in SCAG, or better yet, in addition to it.

This is from the 3.0 Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting, part of a full map on pp. 100-101.

[MrZJunior]

The campaign I'm running now is the first I've made a map for. Mine goes out about a days ride from the main city.

[Mechalich]

The size needed for a map is directly dependent upon two factors: speed of travel and speed of communication. These are usually closely correlated since communication speed is generally limited by how fast someone carrying a message can go, but there are circumstances where this may or may not be true - the invention of the telegraph, for example, resulted in a historical period where communication speed briefly drastically outstripped travel speed.

In a typical D&D setting communication speed can be presumed to be extremely rapid. The powers that be all have the ability to send teleporting messengers, something that can be accomplished with even fairly low-level summon spells, wherever they wish to relay information and this information can then be rapidly disseminated to the masses. Travel speed is somewhat slower, but this is highly level dependent, with it increasing rapidly but idiosyncratically as the party levels up. Note that even a relatively low level party can use spells like Phantom Steed to move about surprisingly quickly.

[SandyAndy]

I do a big world map, then a kingdom map, then a map for each city they're gonna be in if it's that kind of campaign. If it's dungeon delving then I do a dungeon map but I don't share it; they gotta map it themselves. If it's an Indiana Jones kinda thing then we do dungeon maps and that's about it.

[Anxe]

I use 25 mile hexes because that's the speed PCs can travel in a day under normal conditions.