Are piste maps condensed?

I haven't been to too many places but overall I always found piste maps pretty accurate where the number of runs is concerned, though there is no guarantee that particular run will be open. i noticed some discrepancies in location of the runs - sometimes they are shown further or closer to each other than they actually are and it can be little bit confusing for people not familiar with the area. The number of runs is not the best indicator of the quality of skiing on offer anyway. Argentier only has three reds, three blacks and couple of blues, but that will keep most people occupied and entertained and leave them with a sence of achievement if they ski them all, because all blacks are real blacks and reds will be blacks in most other places, no cruisers there, once you can ski a black in Argentier you can ski a black anywhere. Terrain, things like vertical drop and pitch angle will be more important than number of runs. some resorts can be more oriented towards families who are learning to ski, runs are generally gentle and there would be less of them, but families with kids will like it - you can't get lost and you won't feel too intimidated. In Argerntier they simply won't be able to have a good time, it's a very unflattering area that asks for some skills and mileage that would give some confidence to ski it. If skiers are still at the stage when they ski across the hill and can't keep it down all the time they will struggle, on the other hand if they like a challenge, want to improve and invest in instruction, from this place they'll return head and shoulders above the skiers they were before - and all that on a handfull of runs. ON the piste, so you can imagine what the off-piste is like over there. In most resorts there would be some off-piste area so local guide should be able to help with the boredom. plus skiing only takes part of a day, and what's around resort and what's in it may play a role in a choice.

I've always found the piste maps in the places I have been to be pretty accurate in reflecting the number of runs in the respective resorts, including Niederau. It is as small as the map suggests, but as people say, that need not be a problem for them.
If you're looking at prospective places to visit, I always find the following things very important:
1. Height - I want to go high every time, ie 2000-3000m ideally
2. Extent - I like a larger area 150km plus
3. Reviews available online or in WTSS - give you an idea of what the whole place is about

Interesting contrast between the maps for the linked resorts of La Thuile and La Rosiere. On the Italian map, which crams two ski areas onto one smallish page, the crucial 'link' area is rather unclear.
The La Ros map is much bigger and much clearer. (Only found this out after a skier from the French side asked me if I knew where we were and I had a look at his map!)