Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

If I understand the 8th Codex correctly, the spawning of generations 2-5 involves a conventional mating between a hybrid from the previous generation and an infected human parent, without the medium of an ovipositor. However, there’s also the following line in the section on Acolyte Hybrids:

Those that reach maturity will flock together and interbreed, producing more generations in their turn

Does this mean that hybrids of the same generation can engage in, so to say, lateral procreation to increase the numbers of that same generation? If so, is crossbreeding between hybrids of different generations possible and what would its results be like?

I'm not sure that the earlier generations of hybrids have the equipment to engage in more traditional procreation.

vindici wrote:
If I understand the 8th Codex correctly, the spawning of generations 2-5 involves a conventional mating between a hybrid from the previous generation and an infected human parent, without the medium of an ovipositor. However, there’s also the following line in the section on Acolyte Hybrids:

Those that reach maturity will flock together and interbreed, producing more generations in their turn

Does this mean that hybrids of the same generation can engage in, so to say, lateral procreation to increase the numbers of that same generation? If so, is crossbreeding between hybrids of different generations possible and what would its results be like?

I don't see why not. As for something like a '2.5' generation, I imagine it would still be easily lumped into one of the generational categories. Neophytes & Acolytes are already similar enough to include more than one generation in the same unit, after all. Plus we can reasonably assume that 'generation' is already categorization term rather than strictly literal; technically, there would be 6th generation hybrids, 7th, and so on.

 NinthMusketeer wrote:

vindici wrote:
If I understand the 8th Codex correctly, the spawning of generations 2-5 involves a conventional mating between a hybrid from the previous generation and an infected human parent, without the medium of an ovipositor. However, there’s also the following line in the section on Acolyte Hybrids:

Those that reach maturity will flock together and interbreed, producing more generations in their turn

Does this mean that hybrids of the same generation can engage in, so to say, lateral procreation to increase the numbers of that same generation? If so, is crossbreeding between hybrids of different generations possible and what would its results be like?

I don't see why not. As for something like a '2.5' generation, I imagine it would still be easily lumped into one of the generational categories. Neophytes & Acolytes are already similar enough to include more than one generation in the same unit, after all. Plus we can reasonably assume that 'generation' is already categorization term rather than strictly literal; technically, there would be 6th generation hybrids, 7th, and so on.

Codex RAW, generations are very distinct.

1st- not a true generation; this is infected humans- brood brothers
2nd- Neophytes resemble purestrains- usualy 3-4 arms. Can be produced by BB + BB or BB + human. If the latter, and the woman is the human, she becomes a BB though DNA sharing- this does not happen to male humans who mate with female BB
3rd- Acolyte- two limbed, but still alien looking up close
4th- These are near human- they are represented by guard with head swaps. This generation will ALWAYS produce a Magus.
5th- Another purestrain, which is technically NOT a 5th generation; it is the beginning of a 2nd brood cycle.

That's why you don't hear talk of 5th, 6th or 7th gen; those gens are repeats of the organisms that occur in the first brood cycle and are functionally no different than the generations in any of the other brood cycles.

Now you are more likely to see mishaps, like aberrants and metamorphs in later brood cycles rather than early ones. Also, rather than a Magus, the fourth gen of subsequent brood cycles may produce other GSC heroes like Biophagi, Clamvuses (Clamvai?) etc. Exceptions for the Keller and the Primus- they have too many limbs to be 4th gen.

Back to OP: It's my understanding that two partners of the same generation produce the next generation.

Mixing generations would produce the same generation as one or the other of the parents, or perhaps there is no birth at all?

Now truth be told, I think we're on our own here; GW isn't going to go into detail about this, because it's a little creepy, and kind of problematic for a game that seeks to recruit more women to the hobby, as well as younger players. So in the absence of specific guidance from GW, I think we just need to go with whatever works according to our own head cannon. The system I described above works for me, but if you prefer to see it a different way, I can't argue with that, because GW isn't going to come along and say absolutely one way or the other.