Marking hundreds of locations on a map..

[RPGCrate]

So...does this sound weird?

I created NPCs for each Location (adding them to a group titled "Locations". In the "Other" tab of the NPC I added text for the location and included Links to other NPCs (owner, barkeep, patron, etc) then I added links to Parcels to show a "Shopping List", which can then be opened and moved to the loot table when something is purchased.
I placed the NPC-Location token on the map - having sized the NPC to HUGE it fills up the appropriate number of grid spots. Since I used NPC as the template for the location I can then use alignment, HPs, effects, all sorts of things that are quite appropriate for a location.

The whole issue with "finding a place on the map" is simple by using the list of NPCs sorted by "Locations", and you can create "Encounters" and group them by district and then just as quickly pull up the Combat Tracker and add the encounter.

[LordEntrails]

Sounds really weird Care to share some screen shots? It doesn't seem like it would work to me, but obvioously it does work for you so would love to see just how

[Trenloe]

Which ruleset are you using? How are you adding tokens to the map?

With most rulesets in FG you can only add a token to the map and have that token linked to a NPC record if the NPC record is in the combat tracker - unless you're using extensions? Maybe provide a bit more info and some screenshots as LordEntrails suggested?

My main concern would be having a bunch of tokens on a map that link to NPC records - doing this is quite different from links to story entries as tokens. Especially in FGU where there is now LoS and lighting to take into account. If your map never has LoS or Lighting enabled you may be OK, but I'd guess there'd still be an overhead.

[RPGCrate]

Here's the steps using 5e ruleset with only two ext. installed: Automatic Sneak Attack and Turn Based Affects (both insignificant to this exercise).

1. Upload an Image and name it "Three Rivers Ford" and apply sunlight ambient lighting, and add a grid.
2. Create an Encounter Group for your location and name it "Three Rivers Ford"
3. Create an Encounter and name it "02. The Bloody Bucket" (This will be a building or place of interest on your map).
4. Create an NPC Group titled "Locations"
5. Create an NPC and name it "02. The Bloody Bucket" with size Huge and drag a token image of "2"
6. Drag NPC "02. The Bloody Bucket" to the Encounter "02. The Bloody Bucket".
7. Drag the Encounter NPC's Placement token onto the Image Map.
8. On the NPC "Other" tab for The Bloody Bucket, update the text with links to the images, encounters, and commonNPCs that are found at this location
9. Create a Story and add all of the links.

I also tried by adding the text descriptions of the locations to both the Story and on the NPC Other Tab but as it turned out I liked having it only on the NPC Other tab.

What this allows me to do is now look at a list of locations for a map, quickly locate one of them by adding to the CT and double clicking it, then I can open the NPC Other tab and click any of the locations links like another NPC or items or even Parcels that can be used as a Shopping List for that location.

Here's a screenshot of all this setup: How-to-Create-Locations-with-Tokens-on-a-Map.png

[Trenloe]

Thanks for the full details.

I can't see how using the other tab of NPCs is easier than using story entries (there's a lot more steps) and it requires adding of encounters to the CT to see linked tokens on the map - with the overhead that causes. However, if this is what you're looking for and works for you then go nuts!

[RPGCrate]

In running through a scenario in my head such as this...
The players enter the town and encounter a commoner, asking the man where is the nearest tavern...he says one of several things:
"Right around the corner, first building on the left, etc..."
You open the map and need to find the players, place them, and then find the tavern details by drilling into the Story. How do you find it on the map since Pins aren't in list format? You'll need to have either created a list of pins or maybe used quadrants on your map and put those quadrants on the Story board. In all likelihood this was an interaction you don't have in the Story Entry, so you have to open the story, look for the tavern and open whatever appropriate records you've created. This assumes you have the right story, town, section highlighted and linked...

In my use case, I open it in one of four places, depending on what's needed... I can open Encounters sorted by the Town name. I can open NPCs sorted by Locations. I can open the map and click on the pin (if I used pins). I can open the Story and look for the location. Lastly, the one I will probably use most often, I open the NPC which I've created as a location and it has not only Tokens that I can add to the CT and instantly zoom to that spot on the map, or I can just click the links for the map, encounter, or parcels if it's a shop owner. Thanks kinda where my head was on all this...

Ultimately, I wanted a way to easily find a shop on a map by either doing it on the map, or in list format somewhere. Being able to use tokens on the map for the Location was also a goal...being able to assign attributes to a location from the NPC sheet was just a bonus. Having HPs, size, alignment, and effects associated to a location was also a big bonus.

Lastly, I can also create a Shop Owner as a Character Sheet and give them inventory with prices and weight and it's all drag-able to the characters that are making the purchases. I haven't done that yet, but it's an option. All of which is working in FG Unity Vanilla without any additional purchases.

[LordEntrails]

Interesting. It does admittedly look nice on the map, though as Trenloe says I worry about LOS and lightning impacts. I also use Party Vision, so would worry about players being ablle to see the vision' from the tokens. Plus you have to have the token on the CT, which I guess since you have in the encounter you can quickly add, but how do you know which encounter(s) to load? And doesn't it interfere if you then end up with combat?

[RPGCrate]

Interesting. It does admittedly look nice on the map, though as Trenloe says I worry about LOS and lightning impacts. I also use Party Vision, so would worry about players being ablle to see the vision' from the tokens. Plus you have to have the token on the CT, which I guess since you have in the encounter you can quickly add, but how do you know which encounter(s) to load? And doesn't it interfere if you then end up with combat?

For this use case it doesn't seem natural to use LOS on the city maps. What I mean is, when using a map of a city in this way (a top down view with roofs) it seemed far more like a reference map rather than an exploration map or a battle map. So I turned off masking and didn't use shadows or lighting...I just revealed the entire map since none of the buildings have detailed floor plans or secret/hidden objects. I have no plans to run a chase or battle on the city map. In all likelihood this is a representation of a map the characters have in front of them.

What I did to accommodate another layer of detail was to create smaller maps of the detailed floor plans for some of the buildings and then I used those for character movement where lighting was more appropriate. Here's a screenshot of the City Map: Three Rivers Ford with the location Temple of Light marked with a Token "6". And then another map that details the floor plan of the Temple of Light and here I turned on all the bells and whistles for the interior exploration. Also, I had another encounter inside the Temple of Light that was titled "Temple of Light Morning Service" where I placed a bunch of NPCs (priests, acolytes, guards, etc).

If I end up with combat, I can turn all of the "neutral" NPCs to "Enemies" and remove the locations and then we go right into combat with everyone already on the combat tracker. It ended up playing out just like the characters walked into a room of friendlies, and then angered one of them and everyone turned on them and it became a bigger fight.

Here's a screenshot of the Location on the City Map and a Detailed Floor Plan of that location: How-to-Create-Detailed-Floor-Plans-On-Maps.jpg

[LordEntrails]

That makes sense for your use case. I do like the way it looks. But for me I want to always do things the same way, so I think I will stick with the story pins (and when there are lots of those, coordinates on the map and story titles).