Campaign Markers
Track quests, mysteries, rumors, conflicts, and events from dormant idea to resolved campaign thread.
Creating a Campaign Marker
- Click Campaign Markers in the sidebar
- Click New Campaign Marker
- Enter a name (required)
- Select type and urgency
- Fill in additional fields as needed
- Click Save
Campaign Marker fields
Core information
| Field | What It’s For |
|---|---|
| Name | Short, memorable identifier: “The Missing Merchant” or “Strange Lights in the Marsh” |
| Description | What the marker is about - the situation, the mystery, the opportunity |
| Hook type | Category: mystery, quest, conflict, discovery, rumor, or event |
Stakes and urgency
| Field | What It’s For |
|---|---|
| Stakes | What happens if players ignore this - consequences of inaction |
| Urgency | How time-sensitive: none, low, medium, high, critical |
| Deadline | Optional date when something happens regardless of player action |
Stakes and urgency help players prioritize. A marker with high urgency and deadly stakes demands attention. A marker with no urgency and minor stakes is something they can pursue when ready.
Tracking
| Field | What It’s For |
|---|---|
| Status | Where the marker is in its lifecycle (see below). Setting the status automatically updates whether it’s active and resolved - you don’t toggle those separately. |
| Resolution notes | How it ended - useful for campaign records |
Connections
| Field | What It’s For |
|---|---|
| Parent marker | For quest chains - link sub-quests to their main quest |
| Related NPCs | Characters involved in this marker |
| Related locations | Places relevant to this marker |
| Related factions | Organizations connected to this marker |
Organization
| Field | What It’s For |
|---|---|
| Tags | Categories: “main-quest”, “side-quest”, “arc-2”, “mystery” |
| Visibility | DM Only or Player Visible |
Hook types
| Type | What It Represents |
|---|---|
| Mystery | Something to investigate - who did it, what happened, why |
| Quest | A task with clear objectives - retrieve the artifact, escort the merchant |
| Conflict | An ongoing struggle the party can engage with - faction war, territory dispute |
| Discovery | Information or places to find - ancient secrets, hidden locations |
| Rumor | Something the party might hear - true, false, or partly true |
| Event | Something happening in the world - the king’s death, the festival, the eclipse |
The status flow
Campaign Markers follow a kanban-style flow. Move markers through these stages as your campaign progresses:
Dormant
You’ve created the marker, but it’s not available to players yet. Maybe it depends on other events, or you’re saving it for later.
Example: “The Cult’s Ritual” - you know about it, but the party hasn’t encountered the cult yet.
Available
The marker can now be discovered by players. It exists in the world, waiting to be found.
Example: “The Missing Merchant” - the merchant’s wife is looking for help, and the party could hear about it.
Active
Players have engaged with this marker. They’re pursuing it, investigating it, or working on it.
Example: “The Missing Merchant” - the party accepted the job and is following the trail.
Resolved
The marker has concluded. The mystery was solved, the quest completed, the conflict ended.
Example: “The Missing Merchant” - they found him (or his body), and the situation is settled.
Abandoned
The marker is no longer relevant. The world moved on, the opportunity passed, or it simply doesn’t matter anymore.
Example: “The Missing Merchant” - the party ignored it, and the merchant’s family gave up and moved away.
Using kanban view
Campaign Familiar offers a kanban view where you can drag markers between status columns. This gives you a visual overview of your campaign’s story threads.
Creating quest chains
Link related Campaign Markers together to create quest chains:
Example: the dragon conspiracy
Main Quest: “The Dragon Conspiracy” (the overarching goal)
Sub-quests (parent = main quest):
- “Find the Dragon’s Agent” (discovery)
- “Infiltrate the Cult” (quest)
- “Obtain the Ritual Components” (quest)
- “Confront the Dragon” (conflict)
How to link
- Create the main quest first
- Create each sub-quest
- Set each sub-quest’s Parent marker to the main quest
Now you can see the full quest structure and track progress through the chain.
Using stakes and urgency
Stakes and urgency make markers feel meaningful:
Stakes examples
| Marker | Stakes |
|---|---|
| The Missing Merchant | His family loses everything; the smuggling ring grows bolder |
| The Cult’s Ritual | The demon is summoned; the city falls |
| The Border Dispute | War breaks out; innocents die |
| The Lost Artifact | The villain claims it first |
Urgency guidelines
| Level | Meaning |
|---|---|
| None | No time pressure - pursue whenever |
| Low | Eventually relevant - weeks or months of in-game time |
| Medium | Soon relevant - days to a week |
| High | Immediate - needs attention this session or next |
| Critical | Right now - consequences if ignored |
Escalation
Markers can gain urgency over time:
- “The Missing Merchant” starts as Low urgency - he’s been missing a week, what’s another few days?
- After the party delays, increase to Medium - now there are reports of strange lights where he was last seen
- If they keep delaying, High - the merchant’s family received a ransom note with a deadline
Escalation creates organic tension.
Using AI to create Campaign Markers
AI generation panel
- Open the campaign marker and find the AI Generation panel (inside the AI Generation panel)
- Pick a Generation Type
- Optionally enter a prompt: “involving the Thieves Guild” or “a ticking clock situation”
- Set the Creativity slider and an optional Tone Preset, then click Generate
- Review the suggestion cards and Accept the ones you want or Dismiss the rest
See AI generation for the full flow.
Quick generation with Quick Prep
- Open Quick Prep from the dashboard (or the Session Companion -> Quick Generators)
- Select Campaign Marker
- Choose a Tone
- Optionally expand More options and set Use Campaign Context
- Click Generate Campaign Marker
This creates a complete marker with name, description, stakes, and complications. Promote it if you want to keep it.
Tips for managing Campaign Markers
Create more than you need
Players should have choices. Create multiple available markers so they can decide what to pursue. If they only have one option, it doesn’t feel like a choice - it feels like a railroad.
Track what players care about
Players vote with their attention. If they keep asking about a minor marker, promote it. If they ignore a “main” marker, consider why. Maybe the stakes aren’t clear, or they don’t feel connected to it.
Let some markers fail
Not every marker needs resolution. Some should have consequences if ignored:
- The merchant dies
- The artifact is claimed by the villain
- The war starts without the party’s intervention
This makes the world feel real and choices feel meaningful.
Record resolutions
When a marker resolves, note how in Resolution notes. This becomes your campaign history. Months later, you’ll appreciate knowing exactly how “The Missing Merchant” ended.
Connect markers to other creations
Link markers to relevant NPCs, locations, and factions:
- Who can tell the party about this marker?
- Where does the marker lead?
- What organizations are involved?
Connected markers feel like part of your world, not isolated quest-dispensers.
Example: creating a Campaign Marker
Name: The Sunken Cargo
Type: Quest
Description: A merchant ship went down off the coast three weeks ago, carrying a valuable cargo. The merchant who commissioned the shipment is offering a substantial reward for recovery - but he’s being vague about what exactly was aboard.
Stakes: If the party doesn’t act, a rival salvage crew will claim the cargo. If the cargo is what we think it is, that’s very bad news.
Urgency: Medium (the rival crew sets out in two days)
Related NPCs:
- Marcus Varne (the merchant - hiding something)
- Captain Reeve (knows where the ship went down)
- One-Eye Peg (heard rumors about what was really aboard)
Related locations:
- The Rusty Anchor (where rumors circulate)
- The wreck site (two hours by boat)
Related factions:
- The Merchant’s Guild (Marcus is a member)
- The Thieves Guild (interested in that cargo)
Tags: side-quest, docks, arc-1
Status: Available
Related
- Creations overview - All 8 creation types
- Sessions - Linking markers to sessions
- Quick Prep generators - Quick marker generation
- Creation types reference - Complete field specifications