Well, speaking of TOR and LotR, I can get behind the idea of players having a rough map. Even the sheltered hobbits in LotR had a rough idea of what was in each compass direction; it was the details and the paths of which they were unsure, and that seems to be kind of what you unveil as you play and put stickers on the map.

Not to mention, it’s a helpful contrivance so players can plan. “Here’s where the walls of the sandbox are.”