So I've romanced all the companions before (minus dogmeat) and they all seem extremely cool with the fact that I have other partners, and I've even put them all in the same place. So, does this mean that polygamy is common and accepted in fallout 4 and possibly the fallout universe as a whole? (I don't know I haven't played 1 or 2)

Or for some reason is it just with the soul survivor, and your companions are one of view very "open minded" people, and they all just agree that the SS is just the best guy ever, and they can all love him and and be with him? I've had them all have "the talk" when the others were around and they didn't "dislike" it, but sometimes one of the companions doesn't like it when I flirt with the singer at the third rail (Hancock, I forget who specifically)

anyone else have anything to say about the companion harem?

Since there's no marriage in the game, there's no polygamy.

I've specifically heard people mention wives, particularly Mcready, also people can get married in diamond city, also that depends on how you define marriage, and at the very least it would be considered "polyamorous". How do you explain polygamist couples who aren't legally married in areas where having more than one partner is illegal?

I wouldn't exactly say the companions are "OK" with polyamory (the correct term for what you are describing). They accept it, but since a romanced companion dislikes you flirting with others they probably don't like it.

Well, McCready's wife is dead...

Or it may be that being troubled with conflicting relationships is too complex an ask for Bethesda's priorities (they are no BioWare)

Initially I was a little cautious,

(I've been chained to beds using this approach)

But in the last playthrough I romanced everyone who was willing, including Magnolia

and got everyone's maximum affinity (until X6 had a little accident with my Gauss Rifle...)

Not just polygamy, but also polyandry (women with multiple husbands). Given just how dangerous the Wasteland is, there is obviously "safety in numbers". I would expect a trend towards clan-sized "immediate" families to develop, "It takes a village to raise a child" taken to the extreme. The chance that a child could lose one or both parents at any time is quite great. For the sake of the children, having multiple parents minimizes the loss of a birth mother or father. The only real limitation to have such merged households is the increased probability of inbreeding. But if the group is meticulous about maintaining family tree records that cite the specific gene donors, cases of "cousins marrying cousins" can be minimized. (Not exactly something I would expect with Raiders. And Raiders being Raiders, I would expect that sharing wouldn't be all that popular.)

The playersixual aspect of the game is something I avoid simply for reasons of my character being someone that I assign values based on his life prewar. For me he seems like someone who is a one woman/man kind of guy. I wish there were more to the relationships than simply a perk, but it is what it is.

Polygamy is a single male with multiple wives.

Polyandry as you correctly point out is a single woman with multiple husbands.

Polyamory is an individual with multiple spouses.

Since the only limitation is what we place on ourselves, when speaking in general terms, polyamory would be the best word to use. (Next up is a discussion on Pedantry. )

I often wonder what goes on at Red Rocket when I go walk the dog. I get back a couple of days later, everyone is exhausted and the place is a mess.

The internet is the perfect place to see what lies in men's hearts.

If you flirt with the other people like choosing to sleep with Magnolia, they all give a Hate disapproval, so they're not ok with you flirting. The lack of relationship gate doesn't mean that they're ok with it, the game doesn't recognize the polygamy relationship, there is no acknowledgement, so it's a stretch to call it a polygamy to be honest. I would rather for them to have jealousy, or maybe some lines reflect that, like during a switch, if you romance both MacCready and Danse, they may have something to say to each other.

Oxygenated blood, carbonated blood, Ventricle, atrium, aorta, and arteries?

Nuclear Devastation is a great way of removing cultural norms from a society. Discrimination due to a person's skin, religion, what they eat, or who they marry is not a concern when every day is a struggle to survive.

Polyamory seems to be the next social battle that will be fought. Certainly would resolve the Archie dilemma. Why pick between Betty and Veronica when he could pick both? Strictly for perpetuation of the species, polygamy is more effective than polyandry. A polygamy relationship could end up with hundreds of children while a polyandry relationship would be limited to the size of regular families.

Assuming they want to share. Betty and Veronica should have pulled a Witcher on Archie.

This I've wondered.

Even my characters who have had other relationships have continued to wear their wedding ring and kept their partner's ring.

You want to bet on that?

Given that discrimination due to skin, religion, diet etc isn't logical anyway I'm not convinced they would disappear.

If a discriminatory attitude is common in a community pre-war well given the majority of the survivors probably share the same attitudes its likely the same attitudes will carry down and even become more entrenched as post-war communities are smaller and more isolated.

I've romanced cait, piper, and curie. They are all currently residing at spectacle island. When I sleep there and it gives the "lovers imbrace" and no one wakes with me in the bed. I often wonder who's embrace I am feeling? As Frank Barone once said " if you got a problem with your lady, you don't go out and get another one. Now you have 2 problems".

you never marry anyone so technically mcready is a Philanderer but not a polygamist.

That's why God invented divorce and pre-nup.

Here in the wastes we just go out for a "walk".

Hah! Good one!

Theme song for Wasteland mores: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HH3ruuml-R4

*Henry VIII

All the way back to medieval time, do it the old Skyrim way, eh? Marriage, marriage never changes.

I take comfort in knowing that all the vegans would be no threat to me after a war, while at the same time being a convenient source of protein.

I don't think it reflects anything large in the Fallout universe about polyamory or how the wasteland culture sees it... I think it's just a game mechanic to give the player the freedom to do what they want.