Lore query orks and tyranids

[Galtarr]

Lore question here.

Tyranids and orks how do infestations of either work.

Been reading around and confused on current lore.

Tyranid reproduction - do rippers /gaunts/ Genestealers reproduce asexually? Or at all? Do you need a hive queen or whatever to produce ALL troops or just the larger more specialist ones? As I've read conflicting stuff on the internet and very little references GW source material.

Likewise are squigs, orks and grots all unique species? Like you can't get one from another.

Basically, I was wondering how easily a minor infestation of rippers&gaunts or squigs/grots could grow or whether they need an external supply of troops. Planning a silly homebrew campaign / mini games to use some of the smallest models we have was wondering about this.

Partly this is because I've been kitbashing grots for funsies and want an excuse to use grots with chainsaw or flamer etc.. Any ideas on how 'nids or squigs could grow/arm themselves also appreciated. (Likely to be very loosely based on new Munda actions)

 

[Stoof]

I have no idea where I read/heard this so it may well be rubbish (it might even have come from the depths of my own twisted mind), but I thought Squigs, Orks, and Grots are all the same fungus and the environment they spawn in influences what you get out - poor quality soils/spoil/whatever they grow on - Grots/Squigs. Lots of lovely material available to grow on - Orks.

As an area becomes depleted from spawning Orks it starts to spawn Grots, then once further depleted it starts producing Squigs I guess (squigs eating stuff and pooping everywhere essentailly re-enriching an environment to make it more suitable for spawning Orks again).

Don't know for certain about 'nids but I have read about them being found in membrane growth bags (was that at the end of Space Marine? (the book not the game)).

 

[Bilbostomper]

It is a trend that authors will do their best to avoid talking about how 'evil' species reproduce, which is again a problem caused by the simplistic view of some species as inherently evil. If Species X is completely evil and only care about fighting, do they still fall in love, go on dates and raise their children? They would rather not think about it, much less talk about it. If it were up to me, Tyranids would reproduce like ants or bees, while orcs would reproduce like working class British people.

That being said, here's the lore as far as I can glean it:

Tyranids reproduce by the Norn Queens laying eggs that hatch everything else. Some other creatures can spawn other things, like the Parasite of Mortrex that can put ripper eggs inside people, or the birthing terrain things that can spawn gaunts and things. Genestealers can put some of their DNA inside other species to create hybrids when the victim mates with another of its kind. The Hive Secundus book suggested that Genestealers also spread by spores, which is something I think they never suggested before, and wouldn't really fit the fluff.

Orks, Gretchin and Snotlings are related (similar to modern humans and neanderthals). Squigs are not and in fact used to be a variety of Tyranid back in the day.

Orks used to reproduce asexually and give birth to whelps that they would raise in marsupial pouches (this is from Waaargh! the Orks back in 1st ed 40k). In 3rd edition this was retconned to orks reproducing by spores, which would grow into adult orks by themselves. In 1st edition, you could have Genestealer/ork hybrids (there was options for this in the Freebooterz book), but I can't remember if there have been any rules for that later. Possibly in some Citadel Journal somewhere.

 

[Hobo86]

lorewhise there's orc and eldar Genestealer hybrids, but on account of:
-eldar: very slow reproduction cycle & psychic sensivity... the chances of a Craftworld becoming infested are rather low
-orc: infected orcs are supposed to smell odd and have a high chance of not surviving in 'proper ork society'
-kroot: same thing, kroot smell there's something off (most kroot...)
-Tau: it happens but the regimented Tau caste system will likely accentuate anybody 'acting differently'

in short: human imperial society provides a stable proactive breeding ground and a lack of general awareness helps cults develop and mature.

 

[Galtarr]

I have no idea where I read/heard this so it may well be rubbish (it might even have come from the depths of my own twisted mind), but I thought Squigs, Orks, and Grots are all the same fungus and the environment they spawn in influences what you get out - poor quality soils/spoil/whatever they grow on - Grots/Squigs. Lots of lovely material available to grow on - Orks.

This is what I thought I'd heard. But since the only Ork rulebooks I have is Ere we Go and Freebooterz - I guess I'm a little out of date.

Tyranids reproduce by the Norn Queens laying eggs that hatch everything else. Some other creatures can spawn other things, like the Parasite of Mortrex that can put ripper eggs inside people, or the birthing terrain things that can spawn gaunts and things. Genestealers can put some of their DNA inside other species to create hybrids when the victim mates with another of its kind. The Hive Secundus book suggested that Genestealers also spread by spores, which is something I think they never suggested before, and wouldn't really fit the fluff.

Spores belong to Orks, it's taken me a few decades to finally accept that so I'll not let Tyranids steal that. Apparently 8th ed. Tyranid codex said 'gaunts could reproduce asexually. Which makes sense to me, drop a dozen off and let them multiply - why have to produce them centrally, it's almost the point of bioforms for warfare I'd have thought.

And love the 1st Ed. Ork rulebooks always wanted some Khorne Boyz but they was hard to get.