"The characters begin on a crossroad, with a brand new treasure map in hand. Having bought the map for 5 silver they were now on their way to find treasure. The only trouble... they are unsure where to go. And the only sign is broken and is covered in dried blood and bird waste..." And so begins our adventure. I tell them that they know of a man called Egon that lives in the city of ... (I said the name but they forgot to write it down - and forgot it hahaha!). Now all they have to do is get directions to that place. Where do they go? Well the sign says "The Hollows" and points east. So they head there... fully aware that it is not the village where Egon lives.
Perfect way to enter them into the world. I also took the opportunity not to give them the world map or the map of The Hollows beforehand. Once they got into the village, they got a copy of the map for The Hollows. And after a chat with Mrs. Pollmor they got a copy of a world map.
I printed it on thick paper we will pin the map to a board and use pins for movement etc.