^ 1 | Details — 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/l inside/in/into/through [something]"

"search [something]"

Rules controlling this action

check an actor searching can't search unless container or supporter rule name unlist 1

A "[We] [find] nothing of interest." name set

check an actor searching can't search closed opaque containers rule name unlist 1

A "[We] [can't see] inside, since [the noun] [are] closed." name set

report searching a container standard search containers rule name unlist 2

A "In [the noun] " name set
B "[The noun] [are] empty." name set

report searching a supporter standard search supporters rule name unlist 2

A "On [the noun] " name set
B "[There] [are] nothing on [the noun]." name set

report an actor searching report other people searching rule name unlist 1

A "[The actor] [search] [the noun]." name set

Click on the speech-bubble icons to see the responses, or here to see all of them: 7