I told Longblade I would jump right in and add some information. So here is a summary of the tools I use to make maps for a number of Lock 'n Load world at War and Nations at War modules for playtest use. I'm also using these tools on a few of my own design projects.
For Hex maps, the best piece of software I've used and continue to use is Jo Bader's HexDraw 1.1. This is a shareware tool but the low cost coupled with the great results I get make it a must have. Does it do everything. No. There are a couple of things I'd like to see fixed like saving the images for roads and rivers with the map and a bit better control of map scaling. Minor issues. There are a good number of texures and overlay elements out there from users and it is easy to make your own.
There is good info and some art on the CSW page:
http://social.consimworld.com/group/hexdrawusersHis site for the software is here:
http://www.hexdraw.com/Questions welcome. I'll post some shot of maps I've done as soon as I find a good hosting site. I'll also try to talk methods and map design a bit more in detail too.
Here's a WaW playtest maps that we used. I based it straight off of a google earth snapshot.
