Actions: Detail view  Back to full view A single action in detail. About the action rulebooks

Standard actions concerning the actor's vision
Looking , Examining , Looking under , Searching , Consulting it about 

Searching something (requires light) (past tense searched)

Searching looks at the contents of an open or transparent container, or at the items on top of a supporter. These are often mentioned in room descriptions already, and then the action is unnecessary, but that wouldn't be true for something like a kitchen cupboard which is scenery - mentioned in passing in a room description, but not made a fuss of. Searching such a cupboard would then, by listing its contents, give the player more information than the ordinary room description shows.

The usual check rules restrict searching to containers and supporters: so the Standard Rules do not allow the searching of people, for instance. But it is easy to add instead rules ('Instead of searching Dr Watson: ...') or even a new carry out rule ('Check searching someone (called the suspect): ...') to extend the way searching normally works.

Typed commands leading to this action

"look inside/in/into/through [something]"

"search [something]"

Rules controlling this action

before    doing anything   

check    an actor searching  can't search unless container or supporter rule   name  unlist

check    an actor searching  can't search closed opaque containers rule   name  unlist

report    searching a container  standard search containers rule   name  unlist

report    searching a supporter  standard search supporters rule   name  unlist

report    an actor searching  report other people searching rule   name  unlist