The Culture explores 40K II: Now With 100% more Fanfiction

[Gavinfoxx]

I would say, if you want to get it to work...

Come up with some plausible situation where they can transmit actual words, and some situation where they HAVE to use prophetic imagery.

Make the transmitting words and messages something that only happens after the Imperium have really, really consolidated an area heavily, and have a reserve of astropath choirs.

Make the imagery sort of thing, something that happens for worlds that aren't really consolidated that well, or when there are few astropath choirs and not many relays, and they are spread out more, or when one astropath sends a message without a choir, or something like that.

And Astropaths are able to interpret these images accurately. That's their job! They are very, very competent at that... it's a language that isn't in words, it's a language that is in image and metaphor.. barely a language at all, and more just a mind to mind communication... you know... telepathy. Just think of it that, due to a combination of aptitude, training, connection to the thought-space of the warp, experience, and pattern recognition, and the warp partially transmitting intent/emotions (even if the images change), these people are able to make sense of the messages coming from the warp.

If astropathic choirs cannot send condensed information then how do they do things like coordinate galaxy-wide information/commands? .... Accuracy and completeness are both required to use them for command and control.

Why are you assuming that the Imperium has anything even resembling galaxy-wide coordination or a functioning modern economy and command and control structure or or anything at all like that?

http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?...5#post14580215

Might wanna read that... remember, the Imperium is, in a very profound way, Feudal. IE, oriented to local control, where small groups have particular obligations that go upwards (tax, materiel, soldiers, tithes, food, etc.), and there isn't really much coordination on a large scale... a Great Crusade is a really really big deal, and involves all the astropaths in an area pretty much shouting to spread the word of a Crusade, and the whole 'meet here where the crusade gathers' sort of thing (which can definitely get through), and then the thing takes off to go kick ass via massive scale of whatever they happened to put together. It mostly holds together via, well. Inertia.