A hex grid is really simple to make for any software (well - for most software). Check out Visio Guy's website. He has a quick way to do hexes. (Yeah - it is mainly for Visio but it shows you the technic on how to make hex grids.) There are a lot of really great software listed here. If you are looking for something that is free (just try it out or use it) - I would suggest Inkscape. It is a vector and bitmap program. Also, Pencil2D is good (but a bit buggy). The thing about Inkscape is that it would allow you to turn on a grid and adjust it so it fits your grid spacing. (This is a square grid though.) It also has layers so you can create a hex grid (or heck - just go online and download a hex grid), save the hex grid and then load it into a layer. In this way you can display the grid once you are through or overlay everything with the grid so you know you are making everything to scale. Inkscape will import all of the common file formats so all you have to do is to adjust the size of the icons to fit the grid properly, import such things as walls, doors, trees, or basically anything else. They will all become objects in Inkscape and you can drag and drop them where you want them to go.

I use Visio to do a lot of this same thing. You get a nice parchement background (or maybe find some grass), put everything else on top of that - and you have a map. Import the hex grid, send it to the top of the display stack, and it will overlay everything.

The great thing about Visio (or Inkscape) is that you can reload everything in and make changes to everything as needed. So like on one of my maps there was a fight in a forest. The players set the forest on fire. So now the forest on that map is partially burnt out (about two miles worth). To do this I just grabbed all of the trees in that area, went into the picture adjustment area and turned the brightness all the way down. This made all of the trees turn black. Then I just removed about half of the trees by just moving them to another layer and telling that layer not to show up. Suddenly this nice thick forest was a bare, burnt area - except the grass was still green. So I just made a circle, made it partically transparent, made it black, and overlaid the grass with it in that area. Now the grass is a really dark green - almost black - and it looks burnt also.

I use Visio 2003. I say this to tell you that you don't have to have the most current software with all of the bells and whistles. Many people here use older software. It's because then you just pay once for it and never again. Unlike most of the software now being sold where you have to pay for it each month. You can find good deals on Amazon, eBay, and other places. Be aware that the cheap software you see on these locations are usually free software the people are just packaging on CDs and then selling the software cheaply.

Anyway - I'd try out Inkscape. It is fairly good. And also download GIMP. GIMP can help you do textures and there are a lot of really neat modules and plugins that people have posted on here. Like RobA's dungeon maker. A really nice program.