dmcaldw;n9481251 said:
Some quests are related to the message boards as well and unlock when you read the messages even if they seem like fluff and also some can cross over in another part of the region so if you miss the message from the village it came from you won't see it until you are by it . What I mean is some messages relate to something that may be two villages from where you are at .
I've often wondered about this, as it always seemed odd to me that someone would wander off to some other town to post a quest...but then not post about it in their own town. On the other hand, everyone in each town would probably know about the issue, so if no one can help, it only makes sense to post about it elsewhere.
Still, I don't think there's any in-game mechanic that will populate quest markers until you've actually found the quest. There are 4 ways to find out about them, though:
1.) Finding the associated quest contract posted on a board.
2.) Look for the golden
! above characters / on the mini-map.
3.) Listen to villager chatter as you wander about. They often discuss goings-on related to the town and give away quests.
4.) Stumble into a quest situation in the wild and complete by accident (which also takes away your chance to negotiate for more pay).
Plus, any job boards that have available quests will appear "colored" on the map, so it's easier to hop about seeing if there's anything worth doing. I find it quite difficult miss things, actually. Certain quests will appear / vanish from the boards after certain points in the main game, though.
I don't believe anything is "hidden" per say. If you can't find the one you're looking for, try advancing the main plot, then check again.