# Mapping Resources > How Do I ??? >  How do I choose a scale for my fantasy Map?

## josh-hill

hi guys. im making a world (and regional) map for my new D&D world and realised i have no bearing on size. how do i work out the size of my contients? and more importantly what size should i make my countries? any advice for this when making maps? cheers

----------


## ravells

Hi Josh!

To work out a good size for your world, pretty much all you need to know is that a person travelling on horseback can cover about 20 miles (about 30km) a day.  Walking in the countryside at say, 3 mph for 5 hours a day means about 15 miles on foot. 

Then go to google earth (make sure View / Scale Legends is ticked) and take a screenshot of a continent you are familiar with. Keep it as a background image on your map.

Now you have pretty much enough information to conceive of how big stuff is and how long it takes to get from A to B and what scale to put on your map.

best

Ravs

----------


## josh-hill

thats a great idea thanks. forgot to put this in my first post but are there any good FREE programs for making antique looking maps? cheers

----------


## ravells

Hi again Josh. YES! There are!  Gimp and Inkscape being the leading two. Check out the stickies in the software section for more info and good luck on your project!

----------

