[Space] Random Alien Creation: Mating Behavior/Social Organization Conflict

[Cowrie]

Several times when using the random alien creator in Gurps Space, I've encountered combinations of Mating Behavior and Social Organization results that seem to conflict. What exactly is suggested by a species that has both "Mating only, no pair bond" and "Pair-bonded"? Or if a creature has a "Harem" mating system and a social organization of "Solitary" or "Pair-bonded"? I mean, a solitary harem species could probably be handwaved as living alone most of the year, but forming groups in the mating season, but I honestly can't figure out what the setup for the other examples would be. Any thoughts?

[tanksoldier]

Your imagination is weak.

A “mating only, no pair bond” that also has a pair bond may socially create a platonic pair bond with another being to create an family unit or economic partnership but sexual activity takes place outside that pairing... perhaps males pair together, and females together in economic partnerships and meet only at certain times of the year for sexual activity with members of the opposite sex. It could be a social thing, or even a biological imperative... like salmon returning to the same stream to spawn.

What if one sex is non-sentinent? The sentinent sex may form pair bonds, or even larger groupings, with each other for social and emotional support but the non sentinent creature is cared for communally and children are “ raised by the village”.

A harem that is also solitary may indicate predators with large territories. The alpha being has a large central territory, the harem each have an adjoining territory that the alpha visits frim time to time. If the alpha also rears the offspring this would have the advantage of protecting the alpha and the communal offspring.

Harems with pair bonded would be very similar to the current Tinder culture....

could probably be handwaved as living alone most of the year,

What’s handwavy about it? There are animals on Earth that have some of these patterns.

[Flyndaran]

Mating could be only for "good genes", and pair bonding for emotional and physical security. It's not uncommon in real animals including humans, just rarely above board.

[Cowrie]

Originally Posted by tanksoldier

Your imagination is weak.

On the whole, it's actually quite strong. This is just a weak point for me.

Originally Posted by tanksoldier

Harems with pair bonded would be very similar to the current Tinder culture....

Please humor the asexual shut-in and explain what you mean by that. I have a basic understanding of what Tinder is, but am clueless about the surrounding culture and how it could relate to a harem/pair-bonded species.

[Kelly Pedersen]

Originally Posted by Cowrie

Please humor the asexual shut-in and explain what you mean by that. I have a basic understanding of what Tinder is, but am clueless about the surrounding culture and how it could relate to a harem/pair-bonded species.

I'm not familiar with Tinder, but the way I see a harem/pair-bonded setup is that one of them is mating behavior, while the other is general, day-to-day social setup.

So, a species that uses harem for mating behavior, but pair-bonded for general society could have one or both sexes get together in big groups, mating with several members of the opposite sex at mating time (this actually works for either gender in a traditional male/female divide - the males can, of course, potentially fertilize a bunch of females, but females can equally release several eggs, slighty offset from each other, perhaps, and try to get them fertilized by several different males, and either bear multiple young, or let the various fertilized embryos "fight" each other for her resources, only bearing the strongest one). Meanwhile, the rest of the time, they have a preferred mate they bond with and spend time with. This doesn't necessarily have to be one of the people they mated with. In fact, it doesn't have to be someone they could mate with - I could easily see a setup where males bonded with brothers, and females with sisters, living through most of the year as a pair-bond between siblings.

[tanksoldier]

Originally Posted by Cowrie

On the whole, it's actually quite strong.

It's a joke. There's an online forum joke: "Your Google-fu is weak" which refers back to a stock line from classic Hong Kong martial arts movies: "Your Kung-Fu is weak..."

This is just a weak point for me.

Lack of experience with Human mating and social ritual should be an advantage here, but whatever.

Please humor the asexual shut-in and explain what you mean by that. I have a basic understanding of what Tinder is, but am clueless about the surrounding culture and how it could relate to a harem/pair-bonded species.

Tinder is an online service like Twitter or Instagram, thru which you can meet people... often used to attain sexual encounters without any strings attached.

Someone who is married, "pair bonded", can use Tinder to maintain a harem of sexual partners who they are NOT pair bonded to despite being in a committed relationship with one person. There are even "open marriages" where this behavior is expected.

pair-bond between siblings

Keep in mind we're talking about aliens. There may be multiple sexes, there may be different means of fertilization, gestation and birth. They might lay eggs. Two sexes may deposit genetic material in the gestation pouch of a third sex.

Take Traveller's Hivers for example... they are hexapodal, hermaphrodite, don't form pair bonds, mate with every other Hiver they meet and larvae are born non-sentient and seen as pests.

If you'e having problems with the examples given you're still thinking inside the Human/ Earth box.

[Flyndaran]

Pair bonding with harem mating is just some forms of polyamory or open relationships.
I know someone in a happy relationship where one has a few preferred sex partners but only one pair-bond.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by Cowrie

Several times when using the random alien creator in Gurps Space, I've encountered combinations of Mating Behavior and Social Organization results that seem to conflict. What exactly is suggested by a species that has both "Mating only, no pair bond" and "Pair-bonded"? Or if a creature has a "Harem" mating system and a social organization of "Solitary" or "Pair-bonded"? I mean, a solitary harem species could probably be handwaved as living alone most of the year, but forming groups in the mating season, but I honestly can't figure out what the setup for the other examples would be. Any thoughts?

If the social organization is "pair-bonded" but the mating behaviour isn't, then clearly the pairs aren't mates. It could be that they just usually give birth in twins. Or that they have a psychology that drives them to look for a BFF.

As far as a "harem" mating system with a solitary/pair-bonded social organization, have you considered the possibility that the members of the "harem" aren't sapient? It works better with a high level of sexual dimorphism of course.

All that being said, sometimes you're just better off fudging the results and sticking with the mental image you started to develop of your creature before the dice derailed you.

[(E)]

There are stranger things in nature.
Male anglerfish fuse to the female of the species and then basically melt away until only their testicles are left. So hagfish are an example of a solitary permanently bonded harem.

[Bruno]

Originally Posted by (E)

There are stranger things in nature.
Male anglerfish fuse to the female of the species and then basically melt away until only their testicles are left. So anglerfish are an example of a solitary permanently bonded harem.

Anglerfish females can indeed end up "collecting" multiple males this way (the longer they live, the more they pick up) although I'm not sure how long the remnants of any given male are "active".