The main aspect of MMORPGs that makes the genre stand out are the two Ms: Massively and Multiplayer. Player-created events give a sense of community to any game, especially if they show off some creativity. Sure, developers can host in-game events, especially around holidays, but activities made by players demonstrate that MMOs are filled with gamers who just want to have fun.

Champions Online user Mr. Funsocks is kicking off a "Where in the World is Carmel Santiago?" weekly event this Sunday at 6 p.m. PST. It's your job to find Carmel in-game using clues, which will range from riddles to references about the history of the game. The winner will receive the pot from all the admission fees as well as 5g from Mr. Funsocks.

You can read all about the Carmel Santiago event after the jump. Do you have any favorite memories from participating in player-created events? Oh, and do you remember Rockapella? They're still touring! Maybe Mr. Funsocks can book them for the Champions Online event.

Have you seen this person? If so, there's a reward!

http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/5...elsantiago.jpg

Starting this Sunday at 6 PM PST, I'm going to start a weekly scavenger hunt. Your goal? Find Carmel Santiago, wherever in the (in-game) world she is. The first to find her will win the prize. The prize will be the pot from all admission fees, with 5g added from the League of Fantastic Gentleperson's vault (AKA my money). The admission fee will be 50n. Here's how it will work:

At 6 PM PST, anyone wishing to play the game will meet in Club Caprice (to avoid having to fight for instance caps in MC). You will give your fee to the moderator, who will write down your name (@handle).

When everyone is ready, you will be given a clue in the CarmelSantiago channel. The clue may be a riddle, it may be directions to a specific spot on the world map, it may be a reference to something historical/about the lore of the game, it may even be coordinates. There may be multiple clues as well, as Carmel may have left the location of the original clue, and you may have to continue chasing her.

As soon as you're given the clue, you're off. First person to find her and open a trade window with Carmel Santiago wins the prize. If after a reasonable time (30 minutes) no one finds her, the contest will be called off for that week, and the money added to next week's pot. When the contest ends, it will be announced (along with the winner) in the CarmelSantiago channel.

Rules

1. No excuses. First person to open a trade with Carmel Santiago wins the prize. This is a game of speed, knowledge, AND luck. Instance full? You were too slow, sorry. Lagged out? Unfortunate. Tripped and fell in the lava trying to find her? Be more careful. Aggroed a mob? You'd best deal with that.

2. Flying may be required. Carmel Santiago is quite an agile and crafty person. She may get into places that you cannot reach by mere jumping or climbing. Come prepared, it would be highly unfortunate to be the first one there, only too see her 10 feet out of reach of you, while someone else steals your prize.

3. Level may be required. If Carmel is hiding on Monster Island or Lemuria, you will be informed ahead of time (ie before you enter) that this week's event requires entry to those two zones. However, if she's merely hiding in the level 35 part of Canada... You may just have to be a bit more careful around the demons if you're level 12.

4. You may work as a team, but only 1 can win. If you want to work with a friend and share the prize, you're more than welcome, but the prize will go to the one who opens the trade first. If you plan on splitting that with someone after, that's your business.

5. Your account name/global handle is your entry. No, you can't "send someone else" to find her for you. You CAN use a different character. However, only the account that we write down when given the entry fee can claim the reward. If your friend finds her first, but didn't enter, you better motor your way there as fast as you can, because he can't claim the prize, and someone else can beat you there.

6. Use whatever resources you like. The Wiki, the old PnP sourcebooks, recruit your entire SG to go through Millenium City inch by inch, use multiple characters, whatever you can think of.

If you have any interest in aiding in this or future Carmel Santiago events, by all means, let me know. If you want to host your own at another time, let me know and I'll send you the costume file.