Roll20 Hex Crawl Tips Needed

Thought setting up a hex campaign in Roll20 would be a lot easier than it is turning out to be.  I was expecting some basics hex crawl to be implemented in Roll20: 1. Two scales of hex maps overlaid.  For example local scale with 1 mi hexes and a regional scale with 5 or 6 mi hexes.  The hexes get filled at the smaller 1 mi per hex level, but the lager hexes are still seen.  Here's a rough idea: And the player view:   That's a lot of objects to maintain in the proper order on the map layer. 2. Fog of war that snaps to hexes.   3. Graphics that snap to hexes. 4. Hexes that are geometrically accurate to align with imported products. In researching some of the problems I encountered, I found that they've been around for a while.  For example, the misshapen hexes problem was identified six years ago, leading me to think that Roll20 does not intend to fix it.  There is also very little provided by Roll20 in the way of advice or tutorials for how to set up a hex crawl.  Or, maybe I just haven't found it.  I did look at the excellent Roll20 Master Series by Cody, but did not see any hex-based episodes.    Are there any good work arounds for trying to set up a good hex adventure in Roll20?  Maybe it's just not worth it in Roll20 right now.  If so, is there a better product?  Thanks.

A disclaimer here at the beginning:  I use the hex grid a lot, but haven't run a hex crawl. My recommendation would be to try one of 2 things... 1.  Use maps that don't have a hex grid as part of the graphic.  You would only use the single layer of hex which is generated by Roll20.  Turn on hex labels and use those to organize your notes for what is there.  I am playing in a Kingmaker (Pathfinder 1E) game that is using this method for the exploration map.  If you wanted a piecemeal map, you could try hex map tiles that are on the marketplace, which might be made for the Roll20 hex grid size/shape. 2. Use maps that already have the grid layout you want, and turn the Roll20 grid off entirely. There might be a better product out there for displaying a hex map, but I'm not aware of one currently.  Square grids are much more popular (since that is what D&D uses for combat), so that is what dev time is spent on.

The problem is that putting small hexes inside large hexes is difficult on roll20, because the roll20 calculation for hexes is nonstandard (and, basically, wrong). So the advice for square grids might not work for hex grids (at least if you want two different sized hex grids on the same map). Honestly, it might be better to put your hexes on your graphic outside of roll20, and turn off thegrid entirely inside roll20. That way you can line them up properly. You lose the ability to snap things to hexes unfortunately. Or you could line them up in a graphics program as above, and switch hexes on in roll20 and line up your map as approximately as you can, but don't worry about being too precise. Use a colour for the roll20 hexes that blends into your map (can you use transparent?). That lets you use approximate snapping that is fairly close to your map.

Appreciate the advice.  Bringing in hex maps and leaving the Roll20 hexes turned off might be the best solution.  Shame though.  With a few relatively straightforward game mechanics, seems the hex crawl would be a great addition to (and selling point for) Roll20.  Imagine moving the party across a hex map, zooming into smaller 1-mile hexes, and then jumping to a linked map that is the town or dungeon in that hex.  For now, "Keep it Simple, Steve." :-)