Subject: Firstly, welcome, you are, for the term.
Author:
Posted on: 2019-06-27 01:46:00 UTC

Secondly - the way I'd categorize them would be to rank them numerically on a set of scales, using the following categories which are named as follows until someone finds cooler stuff that fits better:
Assimilationist v. Swarm -
Examines how they acquire new members. An Assimilationist Hive Hive Mind will typically brainwash people of any species into joining, while a Swarm breeds new bodies.
Anchored v. Unattached -
The degree to which the hive's personality rests within a given individual to operate it. A species who, for example, requires a queen's direction to function is Anchored, whereas one which is Unattached is fine until the last member dies.
Composite v. Individual -
The degree to which the hive's personality depends on each member of the hive. A Composite mind is based on the personalities of all members added together, and assumes they would have one even if they were not present, while an Individual mind assumes one overarching mind which cannot be changed by the adding or subtracting of members.
Collective v. Scattered -
The degree to which the presence of the mind depends on the number of members in the area. So, for example, a mind which, if you encounter a fragment of a ship's crew or something, will give you a fight where your enemies are slow and sloppy, like they're being controlled by something half-asleep, would be Collective, whereas a Scattered mind is perfectly capable of having each member operating at peak performance regardless of how many are in the area.

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