Zhenga and ally/ret requirements

Hello, I'm new, got my first cards 2 weeks ago.

I'm researching cards and possibilities, Zhenga seems very interesting.
Since her effect doesn't constitute a real "employ ally/ret action" i was wondering how that effects requirements.

Zhenga
[obf]

[SER]

[Follower of Set] Follower of Set

Capacity: 5

Group: 4

Laibon: When Zhenga announces a recruit action or employ action, she may burn X blood. If the action succeeds, she may recruit and employ up to X additional allies and retainers from your hand (pay cost as normal).



QUESTION 1

Let's say she burns 3 blood and announces an employ Mr. Winthrop as action.

The action is succesfull, winthrop is employed, the effect activates.

Can she now "recruit" 3 Member of the Entourage (req: Daughters)?

From my understanding she can employ multiples. ref.groups.google.com/d/msg/rec.games.trading-cards.jyhad/zpfefVra74I/4mDIHUV25zoJ

Also some placement effects are ignored. Zhenga places additional swarms on herself ref. tinyurl.com/px68v



QUESTION 2

As above, but I have Zhenga AND Aimee Laroux in the ready region.



Aimee Laroux

[for]



[Daughter of Cacophony] Daughter of Cacophony

Capacity: 2

Group: 4

Independent: You may use four transfers and burn 1 pool to give Aimee an additional level of Melpominee [mel] . Aimee cannot play reaction cards.



QUESTION 3

She burns 1 blood and announces an employ Mr. Winthrop as action.

The action is succesfull, winthrop is employed, the effect activates.

Can she now "recruit" 1 Raven Spy (req: Animalism)?

What happens, is it just a retainer with one life and no effect?



QUESTION 4

As question 3 but with Zhenga AND Stick in the ready region.



Thanks!

2wayspeaker wrote:

Let's say she burns 3 blood and announces an employ Mr. Winthrop as action.
The action is succesfull, winthrop is employed, the effect activates.
Can she now "recruit" 3 Member of the Entourage (req: Daughters)?

No. When a card uses the verb "recruit", "employ" or "equip", you have to meet all the normal requirements for the card. Since Zhenga isn't a Daughter, she doesn't meet the requirements.

Some cards put other cards in play without using the "recruit" and "employ" verbs, so skip the requirements. For example: Summon History and Alastor .

The basic ruling goes back to Vast Wealth and Magic of the Smith.
[LSJ 19971118]

LSJ wrote:

> Will these cards allow a minion to equip with clan-restricted (and I suppose
> discipline-restricted, if any existed) equipment? E.g., could a Vastly
> Wealthy Black Cat equip with Kali's Fang?
No. The cards say nothing about overcoming restrictions of equipping, so
the restrictions still apply.

(Note that Vast Wealth didn't say "requirements apply as normal", as it does now.)

2wayspeaker wrote:

As above, but I have Zhenga AND Aimee Laroux in the ready region.

Doesn't matter. When playing minion cards, the minion playing the card has to meet the requirement(s).

2wayspeaker wrote:

She burns 1 blood and announces an employ Mr. Winthrop as action.
The action is succesfull, winthrop is employed, the effect activates.
Can she now "recruit" 1 Raven Spy (req: Animalism)?
What happens, is it just a retainer with one life and no effect?

No. She doesn't have Animalism.

If a vampire such as Darius Styx puts a retainer into play without going through the normal requirements, it's treated as having been brought in with the inferior level.

www.vekn.net/general-rulings

2wayspeaker wrote:

As question 3 but with Zhenga AND Stick in the ready region.

Doesn't matter. Stick can't meet a discipline requirement for Zhenga.

The easiest text check to see if you meet requirements is to check if you use one of the 'action types': political action/call referendum, equip, employ, recruit, hunt, etc.

If you are doing one of those things as the effect, then the minion should be able to do it 'on their own' without the card.

If it says 'move', 'put', that are not action types, then you MAY be able to ignore requirements. Alastor being an obvious example.


So Zhenga...
Zhenga
[obf]

[SER]

[Follower of Set] Follower of Set

Capacity: 5

Group: 4

Laibon: When Zhenga announces a recruit action or employ action, she may burn X blood. If the action succeeds, she may recruit and employ up to X additional allies and retainers from your hand (pay cost as normal).



Because her "If the action succeeds" text specifically uses recruit and employ in the effect, Zhenga must have been able to recruit or employ them without using that effect.



Alastor

Requires a justicar or Inner Circle member.

Choose a ready Camarilla vampire. If this referendum is successful, search your library for an equipment card and place this card and the equipment on the chosen vampire. Pay half the cost (round down) of the equipment. This vampire may enter combat with any vampire controlled by another Methuselah as a +1 stealth  action. This vampire cannot commit diablerie. A vampire may have only one Alastor.



Because Alastor says "place" (but could also say put or move), this effect does not check if the vampire could have taken the needed action to get the card on its own (i.e. without Alastor).  This means any equipment card can be placed on the vampire by Alastor.