A topic from AEG's L5R CCG Rules forum, copied for Oracle of the Void from a copy of the forum saved in October 2015, so pages it didn't save are missing. Players' names are left out; the rules officials are named. Rulings are as they stood on these dates; later rulings, the rulebooks and the Rules Archive may differ.
A player, 23 March 2012
I noticed a change in the Rules Glossary for "Search" between CE and EE. In particular, this piece of text is missing in EE.
"If a player searches for a particular description of card and does not select any, the search effect fails, with special consequences. For the rest of the game, any of his or her further attempts to search for that description of card will fail, even if a card matching that description re-enters the deck or other searched area."
Since that rule is now gone, what happens now if an effect directs me to search for a particular kind of card (for example, Imperial Gift) and I don't find any, or I choose not to select any? Am I obliged to find an Item if there's one in my Fate deck? Can I choose my search to fail without any penalties?
Jon Palmer (rules official), 23 March 2012
I noticed a change in the Rules Glossary for "Search" between CE and EE. In particular, this piece of text is missing in EE.
Since that rule is now gone, what happens now if an effect directs me to search for a particular kind of card (for example, Imperial Gift) and I don't find any, or I choose not to select any? Am I obliged to find an Item if there's one in my Fate deck? Can I choose my search to fail without any penalties?
Imperial Gift's selection is not optional - if there is an item in your deck, you must take it.
However, in general you are correct. If you searching and do not find an item, this no longer precludes you from further searching.