Creating a Digital Campaign Map

 So I detest using technology at the table and strive to handwrite/draw everything. But the reality is, the hex paper I draw on gets printed out, and I'm definitely not going to draw my own hex-paper. Thus, I have finally conceded to transfer the campaign map to a digital format using Worldographer.

Pen & paper is a lot easier for doing things up on the fly, and for rough sketches. Since I know the terrain of the current play area (having used the random wilderness terrain from DMG p173) I can create a map that will at least not change too much. If it does, I can easily modify the file and re-print it. I wouldn't have bothered doing this at the start of the campaign (well, actually, if I did I would reference this post for how to quickly stock an area using the DMG with some dynamic implications)

This is the original map I made for the campaign, without much detail (1 hex = 30 miles)

It worked great. Though I don't have a nice way to key hex maps.

For what it's worth, the sections on that map are an indication of how much space is covered by the same hex paper at a smaller map scale. This way I can map at a local scale in sections. That is a lot of work to do by hand... Though I don't see great utility in a smaller division than 5 miles anyway (except where you may be mapping out a domain and 200yd hexes are useful for miniatures battles)

I revised this map once, making it neater and using smaller hexes, which is what I have been using so far. But now, I have the general campaign area digitally mapped (this is incomplete - just focusing on geography and settlements to start with):

The beauty of Worldographer is that you can hide/include map features easily, include hex numbers, etc. So while the map could get very cluttered, with a few check-boxes you can have a bare map with just terrain (or whatever). The way I would do this pen & paper would be to photocopy the world map in stages.

Now, there are lots of nifty features in this software. I don't use them (such as GM only items, fog of war, etc. which would be good if you gave players maps. I don't). But one that is noteworthy is the level system for map scales. The above map is at "World Scale". I can go down to "Continent", then "Kingdom", then "Province". Technically the above should be "Continent" but it doesn't bother me - you can retroactively increase map size anyway.

When I ran the first session, I only had a little area near Underland mapped (admittedly I had a 5 mile hex mapped out at 1 hex = 1 mile of that locale). The rest were "ideas" that have developed over time as needed. There are certainly things that are useful to pre-roll/prepare, such as high-level NPCs, big random encounters, monster lairs and the like, but you can still wing those as well using the tables in the DMG.

Do you need a nice digital map to play? Not in the slightest. Does it make things feel a bit more structured and provide utility, thus saving time once it is established? Yes.