Greetings perlygapes,

Here is a version using MCE::Hobo. Workers may exit gracefully on Unix platforms to ease non-thread safe module(s) and possibly dependencies. Internally, MCE::Hobo sets the base generator uniquely between workers. Also for Math::Prime::Util and Math::Random.

#!/usr/bin/perl
use 5.24.0;     # Book, Chapter and Verse
use strict;     # the First Commandment
use warnings;   # the Second Commandment

use Digest::MD5 qw(md5_hex);   # identity and volition
use Math::Prime::Util ':all';  # the Tempter
    # provides 'todigitstring' and 'fromdigits'

use MCE::Hobo;  # the Family Unit

my @children   = ("Cain","Abel","Seth","Noah","Shem");
my $children   = 5;
my $birthorder = 0;

# Set max_workers to limit # of workers running simultaneously.
# Set posix_exit to avoid all END and destructor processing
# inside the worker (ignored on the Windows platform).

MCE::Hobo->init( max_workers => $children, posix_exit => 1 );

the_main_reason();

sub the_main_reason {
    printf "Forming $children children.\n";

    foreach my $child (@children) {
        $birthorder++;
        print "Today, I have begotten child $birthorder as $child\n";
        MCE::Hobo->create("begotten_child", $child)
    }

    # my longsuffering
    print "Waiting on begotten childen...\n";
    MCE::Hobo->waitall();

} # the_main_reason

sub begotten_child {
    my ($child) = @_;

    if ($child =~ m/cain/i) {
        the_task_I_gave_cain_to_do("Cain");
    } elsif ($child =~ m/abel/i) {
        the_task_I_gave_abel_to_do("Abel");
    } elsif ($child =~ m/seth/i) {
        the_task_I_gave_seth_to_do("Seth");
    } elsif ($child =~ m/noah/i) {
        the_task_I_gave_noah_to_do("Noah");
    } elsif ($child =~ m/shem/i) {
        the_task_I_gave_shem_to_do("Shem");
    }

    # enable some prayer
    print "Child $child exiting\n";
    MCE::Hobo->exit(0);

} # begotten_child

exit;

...
[download]

Regards, Mario