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I can totally see the scope for a Genestealer Matriarchy, is there any particular reason this wouldn't be possible?

As far as I'm aware the Genestealer implants the hosts with genetic information to begin the cult. Does it always require a male to start? Seems like it would be an unnecessary limitation.

Thoughts? Any fluff examples?

It's effectivel the same as with most gender things in 40k, knight pilots and such. in that nothing states that it must be a male.

Genestealers don't really have a sex, do they? So calling the oldest patriarch is more a matter of what it does than how it does it. It doesn't give birth to children but it is the one the rest of the cult listens to and obeys, so patriarch.

I assume because it's a lot easier to genetically hijack a male than a female, since we have no redundancy in our DNA due to the XY chromosome as opposed to the XX chromosome.

This is also why males have driven virtually all mutation in humans so far (although in general that's true for most other species as well).

So it's not some super secret gender conspiracy. That said, the idea of a female run genestealer cult has some legs. I'd develop that background more if I were you, it definitely has promise.

I don't think it's a gender conspiracy, I just think there's something infinitely more sinister with it being a Matriarchy. A bit lovecraftian with Women nurturing their mutant offspring as if they are beautiful creations. The Woman giving birth to the first purestrain seen as a holy figure.

I always imagine that the driving force behind the Tyranids is female.

Definitely worth an exploration anyway.

The fluff pretty explicitly describes the Patriach as being male "a father figure". It could be that the Patriarch is basically genderless - genestealer physiology isn't explored at great length.

The Hybrids themselves include men and women, as the they have to mate and give birth to next-generation hybrid offspring (eventually leading to purestrain genestealers by the fourth generation). It could be that there is a matriarchal culture within the genestealer cult itself. One thing worth pointing out is that the Magus is not strongly described as male or female - you could use a female Magus as a leader of the cult.

It's not described whether genestealers themselves have genders, and reproduce sexually - they must reproduce somehow, since they have to maintain a population until the hive fleet arrives. The Primarch of a genestealer cult is simply the oldest purestrain - if there are female genestealers, then it would imply that there could be a female Patriarch. The Patriarch is just a psychic hub for the cult (and eventually with the hive mind).

 Medium of Death wrote:
I can totally see the scope for a Genestealer Matriarchy, is there any particular reason this wouldn't be possible?

As far as I'm aware the Genestealer implants the hosts with genetic information to begin the cult. Does it always require a male to start? Seems like it would be an unnecessary limitation.

Thoughts? Any fluff examples?

I expect at some point they'll make a Genestealer supplement and make models to do a genestealer cult... so maybe GW only uses male patriarchs with this in mind, since GW makes female models like George W Bush eats pretzels.

It's because the cult is led by a purestrain Genestealer, which is effectively 'male' in its role in reproduction - it deposits genetic material into the host, whether the host itself is a male or female example of its species.

 DanielBeaver wrote:
The fluff pretty explicitly describes the Patriach as being male "a father figure". It could be that the Patriarch is basically genderless - genestealer physiology isn't explored at great length.

The Hybrids themselves include men and women, as the they have to mate and give birth to next-generation hybrid offspring (eventually leading to purestrain genestealers by the fourth generation). It could be that there is a matriarchal culture within the genestealer cult itself. One thing worth pointing out is that the Magus is not strongly described as male or female - you could use a female Magus as a leader of the cult.

It's not described whether genestealers themselves have genders, and reproduce sexually - they must reproduce somehow, since they have to maintain a population until the hive fleet arrives. The Primarch of a genestealer cult is simply the oldest purestrain - if there are female genestealers, then it would imply that there could be a female Patriarch. The Patriarch is just a psychic hub for the cult (and eventually with the hive mind).

Genestealer reproduction is pretty well documented.

The first genestealers are created by the Hive Fleet and let loose. Usually they find their way to an inhabited planet on a Space Hulk. Regardless, the first thing they do is target a man and deposit their genetic information via implant in the back of the throat. He develops a "charm" type ability, which he uses to seduce various women and knock them up. The resulting children are first generation Genestealer Hybrids. They are fairly monstrous, but use a latent psychic ability to keep their mother and anyone in the cult from freaking out. Instead, the cults sees them as things that must be protected and worshipped. These cultists in turn bring more women to the group, who breed with the hybrids to produce second generation hybrids. These are more human than their first generation relatives. Rince and repeat until 4th generation, where you get the Magus. Nearly completely human and very powerful psychically. His children will, somehow, be purestrain genestealers. Meanwhile, the genestealer that started the whole thing has gotten more and more powerful from the cult, not really explained how. Regardless, its not really viable for there to be a matriarchy, because genestealers do not themselves give birth; they force others to bear their children