Yep...
In my opinion, the "Small" version is the more playable with aquatics nations but they keep a great advantage.
Maybe the best solution in MP games is to give the two aquatics nations to AI. (That's what we do in a french MP game, but it's too soon to say if it's work well: turn 10 or so..)
It's quite difficult to decide the correct number of aquatic provinces:
To high and aquatics nations will have an easy-doing-high-number-of-provinces-empire.
To low and they have a great mobility advantage.
Thank you for the "chokepoints" point. It's one feature I really wanted to see in this map.
Now I finished the "Small" version, I don't use the "Big" anymore. I'll just have to finish the special scrip (as I said, one special province for each "colour" of magic, with special army and high level Sites in it) and the "neopangea" sheet of my life will be turned
.