So I have been wracking my mind for months on a good way to present the hex grind as the group explores the Stolen Lands. At first I was going to use terrain tiles a la Settlers of Catan for the map. But after some brainstorming with my wife we came up with a better idea: sticker paper.
Here is what we did. Used SomePDF to extract the images of the maps from the PDFs without any of the text or icons on them. This is of course yet another reason to subscribe to Pathfinder APs. Then we went to our local Staples store and bought a pack of sticker paper. This is printable paper that can be peeled off just like a sticker.
Then we took the paper to the Copy Center in the store and had the maps printed on them. The reason to do it there was to get nice crisp images that didn't weigh down the stickers. We didn't try it but a home inkjet may work just as well, but it was worth the 49 cents a sheet to not use the $50 ink up.
Now as the group explores the lands you simply cut the hex out and the players stick it to their blank hex map. Now you get the fantastic cartography and for the cost like $12.
We printed up a bunch of the building tiles too to do the same idea. Get some nice card stock city layout sheets and use the sticker buildings.
Just thought I would share this simple and effective way to make really nice hex maps.
good plan
we have printed the town buildings out on sticker paper, so we just cut them out and stick them on city grids
all looks very pleasing
Very nice idea. I'm going to make them hand draw the hexes out until they've explored the majority of the area, then hand over a printout - sans labels - that they can have, but this idea gives a nice "fog of war" effect.
Excellent idea!
I unfortunately already went with another route.
I bought cheap frames for the maps from the map folio then covered it with a series of post-it notes cut into hexes. As my player walk-through or ride-through a hex, I tell them the terrain type, when they explore it, I remove the post-it note.