i don't see much fans of those type of maps around the boards (on report, cookbooks, challenges etc)

Do you know why?

No, i'm a fan btw especially the island mixed in variation. remoulado made some maps for me that i used for some recent challenges. Otherwise i would have gone with a B&S map.

B&S maps are a bit easier to play than other maps because you know what they look like and there are always profitable early trade routes. For instance you can go for the GLH and know that it'll be very effective. There seems to be some more room to expand too compared to other maps. Perfect maps if you want to go up a level.

I like the Big/Small map on my off-line games swapping between that and hemispheres.

Many of my RPC games are with Big/Small maps, the last 2 being Qin and Suleiman.

My feeling is that these maps are needed to fully utilize some of the BTS rules, particularly colonies. On Pangea or continents you never get colonies. Also those off shore islands offer good opportunities to setup very nice trade routes within your own empire.

SO one big vote of approval here for Big/Small maps!

What? Big and Small is my favorite map! Really interestingly shaped continents with plenty of small and prosperous islands to colonize.

Great Lighthouse and Sid's Sushi are really strong on it.

browsing boards i realized "terra" maps are even less used
I plan of doing a gigantic game (marathon speed on a huge map) and i don't know yet what kind of map to generate, big and small has my preference but terra could do also with the "real history taste" and colonization and all. But i dunno yet what difficulty use and there are so few report with that map setting on boards that i can't figure it out.

browsing boards i realized "terra" maps are even less used
I plan of doing a gigantic game (marathon speed on a huge map) and i don't know yet what kind of map to generate, big and small has my preference but terra could do also with the "real history taste" and colonization and all. But i dunno yet what difficulty use and there are so few report with that map setting on boards that i can't figure it out.

The following RPCs I played out were on Terra Maps.

Joao
Louis
Elizabeth
Pacal

Although Pacal was a backwards Terra Map where a poster placed Pacal in the new world. The others had very specific rules. Overall alot of fun.