Searching for traps and secret doors (US)

[Jazzdrummer]

The EU rules are much more clear to me on this but the US rules say that "As a hero, you can only search for traps or secret doors if there are no monsters visible to you." It's the word visible that seems weird to me. When it says visible is it referring to the "What you can see" rules from page 15? Could a hero, in a room inhabited by monsters, search for traps or secrets if another hero was standing in front of him blocking LoS to the monsters in the room? I.E. Take a 5x3 room...


x x M
x M x
x M x
E B x
D x x

M =
E =
B =
D =
x = Empty space

Could the dwarf search for traps or secret doors on his turn?

[Gold Bearer]

Another example of why the EU are far superior. A hero can search if there's no monster either adjacent to them or in the same room or corridor, and traps and secret doors are a single search.

I don't know how the US rules are worded exactly. Does but if it is in sight then I suppose the dwarf in your example could search even though the search includes squares occupied by monsters.

[Jazzdrummer]

Yea I think I like the EU rules as well in this case. Makes more sense to me and is clearer while the US rules contain too much ambiguity.

[The Admiral]

Another example of why the EU are far superior.

Score one for Europe!

I play that you can't search if there is a monster in the same room or corridor as you.

[wallydubbs]

I actually like the US rules that you can't search if there's a monster in the same room with you, it implies that there's an immediate threat and you don't have time to search. This is why the turns are circulatory and 1 for 1; because in game time for the characters is not the same for those sitting at the table.

However i do have mixed feelings about the searching for secret doors and traps in the same turn. This definitely makes the game go by faster, but in the US version it's two separate searches, so the heroes could often miss a secret door if they kill the monster, search for traps and then search for treasure. The heroes may not have the patience; my crew often miss the secret doors in the small rooms like in Melar's Maze and A Race Against Time.

[Daedalus]

The EU rules are much more clear to me on this but the US rules say that "As a hero, you can only search for traps or secret doors if there are no monsters visible to you." It's the word visible that seems weird to me. When it says visible is it referring to the "What you can see" rules from page 15? Could a hero, in a room inhabited by monsters, search for traps or secrets if another hero was standing in front of him blocking LoS to the monsters in the room? I.E. Take a 5x3 room...


x x M
x M x
x M x
E B x
D x x

M =
E =
B =
D =
x = Empty space

Could the dwarf search for traps or secret doors on his turn?

Yes, the Dwarf could search for traps or secret doors in this case with the NA rules. Yes, it also is weird if the trap or secret door isn't also blocked from the monsters' view. For more, check out the topic Searching with monsters present--allowed!