If you have been shopping for digital battle maps or setting up a VTT for the first time, you have probably noticed that most quality packs include two versions of every map: one with a grid printed on it and one without. It seems like a small detail. In practice, it is one of the more important decisions you make when prepping a session, and the right answer depends entirely on how you run your game.
This post breaks down exactly what the difference is, when each version works best, and how to decide which one to load before your players sit down.
What Is a Gridded Battle Map?
A gridded battle map has a square or hex grid printed directly onto the image. The lines are part of the file itself, baked into the PNG or JPG at the point of export.
This makes gridded maps immediately usable in almost any setup. Drop it into a PowerPoint presentation, display it on a tabletop TV, pull it up on an iPad at the table, or share it as a flat image in a Discord server. The grid is already there. Players can count squares, measure movement, and track positioning without any additional setup on your end.
Gridded maps are also the standard for printed play. If you are printing a map on paper or cardstock to lay on the table, the printed grid gives players a clear physical reference for movement and range without requiring tokens or overlays.
The trade-off is flexibility. Once the grid is printed into the image, you are committed to it. The scale is fixed, the color is fixed, and the line weight is fixed. If you want to run the same map at a different grid size for a different group, or swap to a hex grid for a Pathfinder session, you need a different file.
What Is a Gridless Battle Map?
A gridless battle map is the same image without any grid overlay. The terrain, lighting, and art are all present. The squares are not.
This version is designed for use inside virtual tabletop software. When you import a gridless map into Foundry VTT, Roll20, or Owlbear Rodeo, the VTT draws its own grid on top of the image. You set the grid scale, choose the color, adjust the line weight, and align it precisely to the map's layout. The result is a cleaner look, because the VTT grid is rendered in real time and perfectly aligned with the software's movement and measurement tools.
Gridless maps also work well for theater of the mind sessions where you want to show players an image of the environment without committing to tactical grid play. A map of a tavern interior or a forest clearing displayed gridless feels more like a scene and less like a game board, which some DMs prefer for roleplay-heavy encounters.
When to Use Each Version
Use the gridded version when:
You are displaying the map on a tabletop TV and using physical minis rather than VTT tokens. The grid is visible to players on the screen, and they can count squares by eye without needing the software to do it for them.
You are printing the map for in-person play. Printed gridless maps are essentially artwork. Printed gridded maps are playable surfaces.
You are sharing the map image directly with players through Discord, a group chat, or a shared folder. They get a usable reference without needing to open a VTT.
You are using simple display software like PowerPoint, Keynote, or a basic image viewer. These tools do not draw grids dynamically, so the gridded version is the only one that gives players a usable battle surface.
Use the gridless version when:
You are running the session inside Foundry VTT, Roll20, Owlbear Rodeo, or any other VTT that renders its own grid. Importing a gridded map into these platforms creates a double-grid effect where the printed lines and the software lines do not align, which looks wrong and makes the map harder to read.
You want to control the grid appearance. VTT-rendered grids can be set to any color, opacity, or line weight. A subtle grey grid reads very differently from a bold black one, and for atmospheric maps like a ritual chamber or a fog-covered hollow, a lighter grid keeps the visual tone intact.
You are running a hex-grid system like Pathfinder 2e in certain modes, or any game that uses a non-square grid. The gridless version lets the VTT apply the correct grid type rather than forcing a square overlay onto a hex game.
You are presenting the map as a scene image rather than a tactical surface, for example at the start of an encounter before combat begins.
The Double Grid Problem
This is worth its own section because it catches a lot of new VTT users off guard.
When you import a gridded map image into a VTT and then turn on the VTT's own grid, you end up with two grids layered on top of each other. Unless they align perfectly, and they almost never do without significant manual adjustment, the result is a misaligned mess that makes it impossible to tell which squares correspond to which grid.
The fix is simple: always use the gridless version in your VTT. Let the software handle the grid. That is what it is designed to do, and the result looks cleaner every time.
Both the Dark Encounter Battle Maps Pack and the Shadows Beneath the Tavern Map Pack include gridded and gridless versions of every map in the pack for exactly this reason. You get the right file for whatever setup you are running, without having to choose at purchase.
Does Grid Scale Matter?
Yes, and it is worth understanding before you import anything.
Most battle maps are designed on a 1-inch-per-square standard, where each grid square represents 5 feet of in-game space. At 100 pixels per inch, a 30x30 grid map should be 3000 x 3000 pixels at minimum to display cleanly at standard scale.
When you import a map into a VTT, you set the grid scale by telling the software how many pixels wide each grid square is. For a 4096 x 4096 map on a 30x30 grid, each square is roughly 136 pixels wide. You enter that number in the VTT's scene settings and the grid snaps into alignment.
Every map in both Black Lantern Forge packs is built on a 30x30 grid at 4096 x 4096 pixels. The math is consistent across every file, which means once you dial in the settings for one map, every other map in the pack imports at the same scale without readjustment.
What About Theater of the Mind?
Gridless maps have a second use that does not get mentioned enough: they work as atmospheric visuals for theater of the mind play.
Not every encounter needs tactical positioning. Social encounters, exploration scenes, and narrative moments often play better when players are reacting to a description and a visual reference rather than counting squares and optimizing movement. A gridless version of a map shown on screen gives the table a shared visual anchor without turning the moment into a grid-based exercise.
The Market Square of Ashfall from the Shadows Beneath the Tavern Map Pack is a good example. You can run it as a full tactical combat map with the gridded version, or display the gridless version during an investigation or chase sequence where you want players focused on the environment rather than square counting.
Having both versions available means you are never locked into one style of play for a given map.
The Short Answer
If you are running a VTT: use gridless, let the software handle the grid.
If you are running a tabletop TV with physical minis or printing for in-person play: use gridded.
If you want flexibility across both: make sure the pack you buy includes both versions. Most quality map packs do. Both packs from Black Lantern Forge do.
The Dark Encounter Battle Maps Pack covers outdoor ambushes, forest trails, dungeon caverns, and corrupted ruins across 10 maps, each with gridded and gridless files included. The Shadows Beneath the Tavern Map Pack gives you two full tavern environments plus underground tunnels, ritual chambers, and a market district, also with both versions in every download.
Both are $14.99 with instant delivery and lifetime access.
