How to Add Clickable Points of Interest to a Campaign Map for Faster Lore Lookup

A marker should answer a likely table question: What is this place? Who is here? What has the party already learned? Prioritize locations that recur in play, connect to current choices, or are easy to confuse on the map. A settlement, a named ruin, and a discovered passage may merit markers; every anonymous hill usually does not.

Use one marker for one place or map feature. If a single location contains several distinct sites, such as a town square and a nearby watchtower, decide whether players need to navigate between them separately. If so, make separate markers or link the parent location to a more detailed local map. Interactive map tools commonly support linking pins to notes or other map views; for example, the Obsidian TTRPG Maps plugin supports markers linked to notes, while Foundry’s Lore Reference Board links map pins to journal entries. Obsidian TTRPG Maps · GM Tools: Lore Reference Board

Before placing markers, pick the reference source that will remain authoritative: a handout, journal entry, campaign wiki page, or a note in the same mapping tool. Prefer a link to an existing location entry over copying its full contents into several places. That way, a changed name or new discovery can be updated once.

If your map tool stores lore in a linked handout or journal, check how that link behaves for players. In Roll20, pins can link to journal handouts, and a visible pin does not automatically grant access to the full handout; players may see a tooltip preview while the handout itself still needs to be shared separately. Roll20 Help Center: Map Pins If your tool cannot link notes directly, use a stable heading or entry name in an index so the marker still points to a findable reference.

Keep the first lines useful without requiring a long read. A practical entry can include the common name, a one-sentence description, the party’s known connection to the place, and a link to any detailed material. Add GM-only information in a clearly separate field or section when the tool supports it.

For example, a player-facing note might read: “Northgate Ferry — A timber crossing over the Greywash; the ferrymaster recognizes the party’s seal.” A separate GM note could record that the ferry stops running at dusk and point to the relevant encounter or NPC entry. This is an illustrative format, not a claim about any particular campaign. Keep secrets out of fields players can open, and avoid putting a spoiler in a public marker’s title or icon.

Open the map at a readable zoom and place each marker on the actual feature, not merely near it. If the map is crowded, use a consistent visual key: for example, one shape or color for settlements, another for hazards, and a third for discovered sites. Add a brief label when the icon alone would be ambiguous.

Do not use color as the only distinction; some users may not distinguish the chosen colors, and markers can overlap map art. A compact label or varied icon shape can add a second cue. In Roll20, pin size, color, and nameplate display can be adjusted; its help page also describes hiding nameplates on zoom to reduce clutter. Roll20 Help Center: Map Pins If your map supports layers, consider separating player-known places from GM-only or planned locations, but verify how visibility works before relying on it.

After placing the marker, attach the location note or handout and give the marker a title that matches the entry. If the location has a sub-map, link to it from the location note or use a nested map feature. Keep the relationship directional and understandable: a pin on a regional map opens the town page; the town page leads to its district map or individual sites.

For tools that support a marker list or linked-note preview, use those features to check that the marker opens the intended content. The Obsidian plugin, for instance, describes linked notes, hover previews, and a marker list for browsing and locating markers. Obsidian TTRPG Maps Avoid duplicating lengthy lore in the marker itself: the marker is the signpost, and the location page is the reference.

Before the next session, test the map as a player or with a player-view preview if your platform provides one. Click each new marker and confirm that the title, tooltip, and linked page reveal only what that audience should see. Then verify that the link opens the correct place and that its text is readable at the device or screen size your group uses.

Check spatial accuracy by zooming in: a marker on the wrong riverbank or at the wrong building can send players to the wrong conclusion. Check clutter by zooming out: labels should not bury routes or landmarks. If several markers overlap, reposition them slightly or use a list, layers, or a more detailed local map. For printed or physical maps, pair numbered dots with a compact index; they cannot open a note directly, but they can still guide a quick lookup.

After a session, update only what changed: rename a discovered location, add a marker where the party found a new site, or change visibility when information becomes known. Keep the location’s established entry as the source of truth and check its map link when moving or renaming notes. Foundry’s Lore Reference Board documentation describes missing-link indicators and repair controls for broken journal or file links, a useful reminder to make link checks part of campaign upkeep. GM Tools: Lore Reference Board

A useful campaign map is not the one with the most pins. It is the one where a player or GM can select a relevant place, reach the right note, and understand what the group currently knows without interrupting the flow of play. Add markers in response to real lookup needs, then revise their labels, access, and links as the campaign moves on.

• Map Pins — Roll20 Help Center

• TTRPG Maps — Obsidian Plugin

• GM Tools: Lore Reference Board — Foundry Virtual Tabletop