Are hex maps the best, or is there a grid you prefer for your RPGs
I use hex maps for large outside areas, graph paper for inside and cities.
squares all the way unless im running some sort of stealth mission then i bring out the facing rules and hex grid from unearthed arcana
so i guess in the context of this forum it depends how much stealth you are going to have
Square grids in any context where square corners are likely to occur, such as where buildings are involved.
Other than that, I tend to favor ungridded digital maps with a hex grid in a separate layer that I can leave off most of the time and turn on when I want to be able to quickly eyeball distances. If I want exact distances, I can measure them directly instead of relying on a grid.
I only use hexes if I need to track movement.
If movement is not that important, then I prefer maps without any grids and use a scale for rough movement.
For encounter-scale maps, I never use hexes, as they tend to restrict movement options. However, I tend to play RuneQuest/HeroQuest, games that do not have hex-based movement. If I played games with hex-based movement, then hexes would be more important.
Hexes or a grid are nice for outdoor maps as a way of providing a location number. In Runequest I used 5 mile / 10 km hexes for the outdoors. Both the Balazar/Elder Wilds map (from Griffon Mountain) and the Dragon Pass map (from the Board Game) had hexes I used hexes for everything there.
For Star Wars I created a hex map of the galactic region where most of the action in our campaign occurred.
For my map of Paris in Honor + Intrigue I use one of several maps of Paris that are available on the web. The main map is the 1615 Merian map of Paris. I created a version with a grid labeled 1-15 and A-J so I can easily indicate the general location of particular buildings and landmarks for myself and for the players.
On the other hand the overland maps for H+I are also historical maps and I haven't bothered to grid those -- in part because there are too many maps to choose from. Since players are usually traveling from town to town, I use Internet mapping software to get the distance from place to place.
I prefer hex but I use graph paper for my own games because it is just easier to pick up at the local CVS or Walmart. For world maps, these days I like a "clean" map with no hexes just to help give me a sense of what the land looks like, and a hex map. I find having both helpful. I'll use the hex map during play but often rely more on the clean map for prep between sessions.
i thought we were talking about combat maps when i gave my answer but it seems we are talking about overland movement in which case i also must say that sort of thing needs a grid but only in the sense that all maps need a grid, for referencing locations you dont need a grid to track movement at that scale a scale is enough