Goblin-King wrote:This is something we discuss every time we play, and we never really seem to settle for anything, playing with random rules each time...
The rules are extremly vauge, but some seem to imply that you get the content of a chest by just doing the normal search for treasure.
That kinda reduces chests to a simple marker, telling the players that there probably are aspecific treasure in this room.
Rules to consider from p.16 of the North American Instruction Booklet under
Action 3-Search For Treasure:
. . . A room may be searched by
all 4 Heroes, but each individual Hero
may only search the room once, and
may do so only on his own turn.
...Searching for treasure means you are
looking around, opening things, search-
ing for interesting objects and gold
coins, regardless of what square you are
on in the room. Do not move your
Hero figure when you search.
As Zargon, if there is a special treasure
(as described in the Quest Notes), you
must read aloud the treasure description
once the treasure has been found. The
special treasure is discovered only once
by the first Hero who searches the room
for treasure, even if other Heroes later
search that same room.Yes, you get the contents of a chest by just doing a normal search for treasure. A Search For Treasure action may turn up a special treasure if there is a chest, another piece of furniture, or even just a monster that possesses the treasure. I guess it's even possible for a special treasure to lie in an otherwise empty room, if so noted. A chest is merely a special piece of furniture (marker) that may contain treasure, but it also may mark the location of a trap. If trapped, a Hero must be moved adjacent to the chest for a disarm attempt. Now the marker is a goal or a penalty.
Goblin-King wrote:In my danish quests they ofthen use the phrase "If a player opens/asks to see the content of this chest..."
This implies that opening a chest is actually a whole seperate action. Search for treasure OR open chest.
Some maps also have traps surrounded by traps, implying you are supposed to walk up to the chest.
Looking through the later-published North American Quest Book, such direct references to opening a chest or seeing its contents have been omitted. Seems this was done to avoid subsequent confususion about what a Search For Treasure action entails.
Movement to the chest is implied by the second paragraph posted above in blue. Searching for treasure involves looking around and opening things (ie. a chest), regardless of what square a Hero is on.
Included at the top of p. 18 under
Action 5-Search For Traps:A treasure chest or piece of furniture
may also contain a trap. If you search for
treasure without first searching for
traps, you will spring the trap.The rules as written only call for a Hero to take damage from a trap placed on the chest square, as the Hero doesn't actually move to the chest and trigger other traps on the way. However, I agree there is a problem if a chest is totally surrounded by traps, as is found in the Barbarian Quest Pack, Quest 2. How could the Barbarian possibly get the gold safely from the chest noted in D if traps weren't first searched for? Without such a prior traps search, a search for treasure should logically require one of the surrounding spear traps to be unwittingly sprung as the Barbarian necessarily crosses it to get to the chest. Does he somehow uncosciously avoid the trap with an inspired leap? Discussed in
this thread, I suggest a house rule is needed to spring a trap that wasn't searched for that is also unavoidably on the way to a chest.
Goblin-King wrote:I see the following ways to use chests:
1.) Chests are not really important - Players just need to search for treasure like in a room
without a chest. 3 chests are opened in 1 turn. No need to stand next to chest.
2.) Chests are a different kind of treasure. A player can both open a chest
and search for other treasure in the same room. 3 chests take 3 turns to open. Must stand next to chest.
3.) Chests replaces the search for treasure in a room. You cant search if there are obvious treasure in the room. 3 chests take 3 turns to open. Must stand next to chest.
4.) Any combination of the above rules

Personally I'm inclined to go for 2 or 3. How does other players use chests?
No. 1 is pretty much what the rules call for. I use this one, with the above-noted house rule for unavoidable traps.
No. 2 makes good sense as a house rule, but I wouldn't allow a Hero to search for a treasure in the Quest notes and search the treasure deck for other treasure. That is prohibited by the first and third blue paragraphs above. I'd limit it to extra searches applying only to another chest (or other piece of furniture).
No. 3 is what I'm talking about in No. 2, so I'd prefer No. 3 over No. 2 as a house rule.