Chests? How do they work?

[Goblin-King]

As far as another player coming in and swiping the loot - I'd have to ask why? Remember, the heroes are SUPPOSED to be all friends
working together to fight evil and chaos. If there was something one player wanted or needed more than the others, I would
assume he would get it. I've always played it that the loot has to be shared between all the players, no matter who finds it.

Danish rules translation:
Both heroes and monsters are NOT allowed to do the following:
Move through a square occupied by a character. The player in question can however allow you to pass...

This single quote inspires players to be super *Play-Doh Factories*! One player stands in a doorway. Can I pass? NO! Ok, then I attack you!
People go together into a room filled with monsters and while one fight the other backs away and searches for treasure!
Welcome to European Hero Quest *mother hugger*!

NOW...for a different way to play. If you have created or use a hero that is a thief/rogue type character, you can have that
player attempt to swipe and hide some gold before the others see any of it, and that hero would have a little extra over the
others. BUT...if the other heroes see him, they might not trust him as much, which would cause the whole companions fighting
together system to fall apart. Not good....not good.

Personally I'm all about playing pure. I'm ok with house rules clearifying or fixing other vice broken rules, but adding new content such as characters, spells or monsters is not really my style
(I AM however creating my own HQ-inspired game system by the way... Check out the homepage for some of the content - http://www.blastzone.dk/index.php?p=darkdescent)

[cynthialee]

Goblin King,
The quick answer to ninja looters is to disinvite them from the game group.

In a game like HQ everyone needs to rely on eachother to survive and meet the quest objectives.
Once a player demonstrates they are incapable or unwilling to be team players it leaves me with the question:
Do I really want this gready basterd as my friend? If they act this way in a game, how will they act in a real life stress situation?

[Goblin-King]

I wouldn't go as far as judgeing my friends based on a game of HQ
In fact I'd even say that the choice of being a groupplayer or solo-ninja is one of the few aspects of the game that is actually RP-like.
I do however always tell my players to work together, as the game can be very tough soloing and the players usually exclude ninjas automatically. Nobody wants to defend or heal ninjas. But usually ninjas are new players who haven't quite yet understood that this isn't ludo... You don't compete against the other players.
But let's stay on topic before this turns into a thread about HQ game ethics

[Daedalus]

It seems there are as many interpretations of the rules as there are players!

And we're all right.

Another thing that struck me... What If the quest notes states that a chest is empty?
Does the first player who searches for treasure get nothing and the second player gets a treasure card?

Apologies for quoting the North American Instruction Booklet, but it's what I know and play. Found on p.16 under Action 3-Search For Treasure:

Treasure is found only in rooms, not in
corridors. 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.

Each Hero can only search once. Later on the same page...

How Zargon Reacts To A
Hero's Search For Treasure
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....

Of importance is what qualifies as a special treasure. From the Notes of Quest 1 (the NA Quest Booklet):

B. This treasure chest is empty.

D. The first Hero who searches for treasure will find 84 gold
. . coins in this treasure chest.

Special treasure is always detailed in the Quest Notes, as in note D. An empty treasure chest found in the Notes section does not qualify as special treasure, even if a search for treasure is necessary to discover a chest is empty. Finding that a chest is empty is just part of the "looking around, opening things" described under How A Hero Searches For Treasure. Therefor, the 'unfruitful' search still yeilds a treasure card as also described on p. 16 under How A Hero Searches For Treasure:

.* If there is no special treasure called
. . out to Zargon in the Quest Book,
you, as a Hero, must draw a random
card from the Treasure Card deck and
read it aloud....

It is clarified again under How Zargon Reacts To A Hero's Search For Treasure:

If there is no special treasure in the
searched room, direct the searching
Hero to draw a Treasure Card as
described....

So a Hero that takes a Search For Treasure action in a room with an empty chest still draws from the Treasure Card deck on that same turn. (A second Hero may also search for treasure and draw from the Treasure Deck in that room as well.)

[Daedalus]

How about trapped chests? Does a hero recieve the loot if he opens a trapped chest or can another player ninja loot it in the following turn?

According to the NA Intruction Booklet, p.20, on another player's turn the special treasure may indeed be ninja-looted. Found under Springing A Chest/Furniture Trap:

. . . . . . . . . . . .... You may search the
disarmed chest/furniture for treasure on
your next turn.

Meanwhile another Hero may search for treasure in that same room on his turn and claim the special treasure before the first Hero could search for treasure himself. That's why both the Barbarian Quest Pack and the Elf Quest Pack on p. 9 introduced this 'gameplay difference' to eliminate such anti-cooperative behavior:

10. Treasure
To eliminate conflicts among the Heroes, large gold coin treasures
found in treasure chests should be divided among all surviving
Heroes.

Any Zargon can play it how he/she likes, but here is an official alternative that can easily be adopted for general use.

[Goblin-King]

At tonight's gaming session we tried playing with the rule that opening a chest is a seperate action from searching for hidden treasure.
We all found this rule to be very satisfying. I will reccommend it.

Thanks to all for replying

[el_flesh]

Not to be an ass, (especially to Lurch) but

If there is no special treasure in the
searched room, direct the searching
Hero to draw a Treasure Card as
described....

doesn't happen in Lurchbrick's Isometric HQ for computer...the dam chest can be empty and yor S.O.L.

...guess that's another correction for the 'bug'list...

[cynthialee]

I have always ussed the rule that searching furniture and chest is a separate action from seaching a room. I also require a hero to be right next to the furniture to search.
I also do not allow a card draw for every room. And sometimes to keep them wondering what is up, I give the option "You may draw two cards and deal with any results, or you may pass a draw." Many times they will pass on a double pull and accept nothing rather than face the risk of 2 hazards or wandering monsters.
I try and keep it fresh.
Sometimes I will require them to roll a dice for every point of mind and they must get a black shield to find anything.
But not always. I only do this for 'well hidden' treasures and 'complicated secret doors'.

[el_flesh]

Sometimes I will require them to roll a dice for every point of mind and they must get a black shield to find anything.
But not always. I only do this for 'well hidden' treasures and 'complicated secret doors'.

THAT is a real cool idea I never thought of!

[polymathis]

My group use a set of house rules that basically boil down to:
1.) Searching a room for treasure or traps/secret doors searches the room but not any furniture. If nothing special is marked in the quest for that room then they draw a treasure card / find nothing respectively.
2.) Each item of furniture (table, chest, whatever) requires a separate search for traps / treasure. Anything special plays out as in the instructions, otherwise they find nothing / draw a treasure card respectively.
3.) A room or corridor can be searched for treasure any number of times by any number of heroes (There is risk as my treasure deck is beefed up with additional treasure, but also additional traps/hazards, some of which cause PERMANENT mind or body damage.)
4.) Any piece of furniture can only be searched for treasure once, by the first hero who does so.

We find this gives a nice risk/reward balance for heroes who want to hang around and mooch, gives some realism and purpose to the furniture, and doesn't slow things down too much!