Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Most fantasy maps are drawn at a scale their own story cannot support — kingdoms a rider crosses in an afternoon, empires narrower than Wales. The fix is not better drawing; it is deciding what one day of travel actually looks like and building outward from that.
🔥 JOIN THE MINIONS: youtube.com/@TenkarsTavern/join
This is the second entry in the Answer Key series — videos that take a worldbuilding problem to an actual 1981 rulebook and let it settle the argument. This one is about map scale: the twenty-four-mile hex for continents and kingdoms, the six-mile hex for the region your story actually happens in, and the four-step framework for applying both to a map you've already drawn. Works whether you're running a campaign or writing a novel — the math doesn't care which.
The Tavern Rules: We’re here for B/X and OSR gaming. I use AI as a tool to help organize and format my notes, but every ruling and opinion is 100% Tenkar. Keep it civil, keep it old-school, or the bouncer will show you the door.
Basic Rules (Moldvay) PDF & Print - drivethrurpg.com/en/product/110274/d-d-basic-set-rulebook-b-x-ed-basic?src=newest_print&affiliate_id=1446
Expert Rules (Marsh/Cook) PDF & Print - drivethrurpg.com/en/product/110792/d-d-expert-set-rulebook-b-x-ed-basic?affiliate_id=1446
Join The Tavern’s Discord Server (It's Free):
discord.gg/fReGmuD
Buy me a Beer!
ko-fi.com/tenkar
0:00 24 Miles a Day — The Number Your Fantasy Map Is Missing
0:57 Why Homebrew Fantasy Maps Break Before the First Roll
2:12 What Goes Wrong When You Skip Map Scale Entirely
2:50 The 1981 Expert Set Answer: 24-Mile and 6-Mile Hexes
4:03 Movement Rate Divided by Five = Miles Per Day
4:23 Terrain Penalties, Roads, and the Forced March
4:48 Four Hexes Apart: Same Map, Three Travel Times
5:55 Trade Routes, Sieges, and Messenger Time
6:21 The 6-Mile Hex: Strongholds, Patrols, Domain Play
6:50 Old-School Essentials and Modern Retro-Clones
7:19 Four Steps to Rescale a Map You Already Drew
8:49 Your Campaign Map Challenge
The Tavern uses affiliate links - using our affiliate links supports the channel without costing you anything extra.
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The Tavern’s Amazon Storefront: amzn.to/41Jm0oG
DriveThruRPG: drivethrurpg.com/en/?affiliate_id=1446
Fantasy Grounds VTT: affiliates.fantasygrounds.com/388855/15958
The Tavern uses Restream for its livestreams and its long-form videos. You can too! restream.io/join/g5Qpgr
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Master Minion: mortgagemike77, Randt Chrockett, Eric Fox, The Veteran DM, Cathulhu17, Don Bakke, DoubleDeuce, skink, Kore44, Louis Feurino, Craig Aylward, Anthon Kron, Ijimisan, Terry Taylor, blahlbinoa, Arbiter's Archive, Dean Salsberry, DM Angelo, Douglas Pearson, James Spahn, Mathew Sherman, Agile Monk
Companion Minions: Andrey Zharinov, Brett C, Spode Racing, Tacoloco787, Adam Lovell, Plush Cthulhu, DM_Sahrenyth, Gabe Guerrero, Chris Charlton, Chris Blatnick, Nicodemus ShadowCaster, Christopher Beattie, No one, Stephen Klow, Mark the Shark, Eupolemos, Jay, Martin Penny, tim cafferty, Rubens Barrichello, Curt Gould, Estaban Vasquez, Glen K. Amo
youtube.com/channel/UCIdpAASpAI7vu-bZx6pP_mQ
#FantasyMaps #Worldbuilding #FantasyWriting #TenkarsTavern
Most fantasy maps are drawn at a scale their own story cannot support — kingdoms a rider crosses in an afternoon, empires narrower than Wales. The fix is not better drawing; it is deciding what one day of travel actually looks like and building outward from that.
🔥 JOIN THE MINIONS: youtube.com/@TenkarsTavern/join
This is the second entry in the Answer Key series — videos that take a worldbuilding problem to an actual 1981 rulebook and let it settle the argument. This one is about map scale: the twenty-four-mile hex for continents and kingdoms, the six-mile hex for the region your story actually happens in, and the four-step framework for applying both to a map you've already drawn. Works whether you're running a campaign or writing a novel — the math doesn't care which.
The Tavern Rules: We’re here for B/X and OSR gaming. I use AI as a tool to help organize and format my notes, but every ruling and opinion is 100% Tenkar. Keep it civil, keep it old-school, or the bouncer will show you the door.
Basic Rules (Moldvay) PDF & Print - drivethrurpg.com/en/product/110274/d-d-basic-set-rulebook-b-x-ed-basic?src=newest_print&affiliate_id=1446
Expert Rules (Marsh/Cook) PDF & Print - drivethrurpg.com/en/product/110792/d-d-expert-set-rulebook-b-x-ed-basic?affiliate_id=1446
Join The Tavern’s Discord Server (It's Free):
discord.gg/fReGmuD
Buy me a Beer!
ko-fi.com/tenkar
0:00 24 Miles a Day — The Number Your Fantasy Map Is Missing
0:57 Why Homebrew Fantasy Maps Break Before the First Roll
2:12 What Goes Wrong When You Skip Map Scale Entirely
2:50 The 1981 Expert Set Answer: 24-Mile and 6-Mile Hexes
4:03 Movement Rate Divided by Five = Miles Per Day
4:23 Terrain Penalties, Roads, and the Forced March
4:48 Four Hexes Apart: Same Map, Three Travel Times
5:55 Trade Routes, Sieges, and Messenger Time
6:21 The 6-Mile Hex: Strongholds, Patrols, Domain Play
6:50 Old-School Essentials and Modern Retro-Clones
7:19 Four Steps to Rescale a Map You Already Drew
8:49 Your Campaign Map Challenge
The Tavern uses affiliate links - using our affiliate links supports the channel without costing you anything extra.
Humble Bundle: humblebundleinc.sjv.io/da4WJ2
The Tavern’s Amazon Storefront: amzn.to/41Jm0oG
DriveThruRPG: drivethrurpg.com/en/?affiliate_id=1446
Fantasy Grounds VTT: affiliates.fantasygrounds.com/388855/15958
The Tavern uses Restream for its livestreams and its long-form videos. You can too! restream.io/join/g5Qpgr
The Tavern also uses VidIQ: vidiq.com/TenkarsTavern
Master Minion: mortgagemike77, Randt Chrockett, Eric Fox, The Veteran DM, Cathulhu17, Don Bakke, DoubleDeuce, skink, Kore44, Louis Feurino, Craig Aylward, Anthon Kron, Ijimisan, Terry Taylor, blahlbinoa, Arbiter's Archive, Dean Salsberry, DM Angelo, Douglas Pearson, James Spahn, Mathew Sherman, Agile Monk
Companion Minions: Andrey Zharinov, Brett C, Spode Racing, Tacoloco787, Adam Lovell, Plush Cthulhu, DM_Sahrenyth, Gabe Guerrero, Chris Charlton, Chris Blatnick, Nicodemus ShadowCaster, Christopher Beattie, No one, Stephen Klow, Mark the Shark, Eupolemos, Jay, Martin Penny, tim cafferty, Rubens Barrichello, Curt Gould, Estaban Vasquez, Glen K. Amo
youtube.com/channel/UCIdpAASpAI7vu-bZx6pP_mQ
#FantasyMaps #Worldbuilding #FantasyWriting #TenkarsTavern
