What Makes a Good Map? (CSC)

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As stated before, a good map is an effective map; one that conveys exactly the right amount of infomation needed by the DM to run his adventure.
What is the right amount of infomation? That depends on the map. There is no hard, fast rule that says "each map must have the following features or it is not an official map. It However, there are many features that good, usable maps have in common.
==Map Scale==
This defines the relationship of a unit of measurement on the map, such as a graph square, a hexagon, an inch or a centimetre to its corresponding "fuJ1 scale" measurement. It is usually expressed as "one square equals five feet" or "one centimetre equals 20 feet" depending on the map scale that the DM chooses.
It is important to note that the use of a square grid can distort movement somewhat Mainly, this is due to the fact that the distance covered in a diagonal movement from one square to the next is roughly half again that traversed in a lateral movement. Dungeon Masters should keep this in mind when using normal graph paper. When using graph paper, the expression "one square = five feet" means that the measurement along the side of the square corresponds to a full-scale measurement of five feet. Such a map square would cover an area of 25 square feet.
On the other hand, the expression, "one hex = five feet" has a slightly different meaning. It means that the distance from one flat side of the hexagon to the opposing flat side, is five feet.
==Map Grid==
A common adventure game practice is to draw maps on gridded paper. Gridded paper is divided into two general types: graph paper and hex paper. Graph paper is generally found in office supply or stationery stores and departments. This paper is gridded in uniform squares. In the United States, the size of the squares is measured in fractions of an inch, quarters, eighths and tenths being the most common. Elsewhere, metric measurements maybe used.
Hex paper has little use outside of gaming and is therefore found only where gaming supplies are sold.
It is not absolutely necessary to draw a map on graph or hexagon paper, but it does make the task easier for the beginning lnapper. While it is possible to run games by making measurements with a ruler on a map (more on this later) it is far easier to plot movement, missile, and spell ranges on a gridded map. Adventurers with a desire to map their progress will find it easier to map an encounter area that has itself been drawn on hex or graph paper.
Though extremely useful, map grids can have a negative side. Grid mapping can restrict the DM's creativity. He can easily fall into the trap of designing a world to fit within . convenient grid boundaries (see the Maps without Grids and the Tips & Tricks sections of this chapter for details).
==Encounter Area Numbers==
The use of letters, numbers, or symbols is very important as it allows the DM to uniquely mark important encounter areas. These numbers refer the DM to corresponding text in his adventure notes. A good rule of thumb here is to use numbers for major encounter areas and then letters for minor encounters or areas of note within the numbered encounter area.
==Map Keys==
A map key explains any special symbols used to indicate features on the map that may not require extensive text descriptions. This need only cover those symbols which the DM does not commonly use.
==Compass Rose==
At its simplest, this is an arrow pointing north. It helps the DM orient (or confuse) the adventurers when they are exploring the mapped region.