How far apart should your loci be, and how many should a first palace have?

Spaced out enough that each feels separate — and start small, around 10 loci, before scaling up.

• Spacing: don't cram several loci onto one table or wall; adjacent images will bleed into each other ("did the moon go on the lamp or the vase?"). Give each locus breathing room.
• Count: a first journey of ~10 well-chosen loci is plenty to learn the skill. You can extend the same route or add rooms later; memory athletes maintain palaces with hundreds of loci, but they built up.

Quality of separation beats quantity of stations every time.