Varnias Tybalt said:

Very true. Our perspective may not be too different from the perspective of the traveler, but one's perspective will not change something's actual size. My point was that we tend to think of planets in small terms and forget how huge they are and how much can actually happen and exist on just one (never mind how much change and verity in life, culture, ecosystems, etc, can exist on just one planet).

Graver said:

Of course. An entire world can include many things and if it is a largely populated one then the aspects of that world are probably to many to count. But I dont think it is that much of an issue to think of planets in small terms when designing scenarios and playing them. Although the universe of WH40K is a large one, Dark Heresy certainly isnt very open ended. All PC's are agents of the Inquisition nad most of the time the only reason they are on the surface of any given planet is because they have a particular mission or task to accomplish. That's why most of the details of that particular world are primarily focused on what is relevant to the mission at hand and not describing everything else.

Why should a player or his PC care what people are doing, thinking and eating in Hive Tarsus when the heretics he or she are chasing are suspected to hole up in Gunmetal City? If you get my meaning?

That planetfall blurb is a bit disturbing.

IIRC, the great crusade is supposed to have brought about two million worlds into the light of the emperor. The great crusade didn't manage to unite the whole galaxy, just a massive chunk of it, and it's been slowly going downhill since... (Although I do suppose of those ten worlds, 6 are probably just big gas clouds, 2 of them are unable to support life, 1 of them is covered in hostile forces and the last one is covered in orks. And Exterminatus possibly doesn't count as "Losing" a world. The imperium still knows exactly where it is...)

Anyway, the imperium is beyond massive. That "Million worlds" thing is likely mainly an administratum guesstimation.

At least thats how I justify it. GW have historically always been terrible with the numbers.

Oh, don't get me wrong, I entirely agree that a planet is a vast space in which things may happen - but most of those things can be dealt with by the Ecclesiarch or the Arbites - if not the planets own police forces. Then you have stationed Inquisitorial agents looking into the major heretical sects and "secret cults" on a world as well. These are not untrained and unskilled resources, but zealous and moderately prepared servants of the Emperor - May he Reign Forever, may his Light Shine on the Whole of the Galaxy. ( I, of course, say "moderately prepared" because in an Empire which encourages ignorance as a form of wisdom they won't be as prepared as they might under different circumstances)

It is only if all these fail that an Inquisitor need intervene. I like using Eisenhorn as an example - if he had been responsible for a single planet he never would have gone chasing conspiracies and epic level heretical plots all over the sector - certainly not with the freedom he had to do so. He had his distaff to investigate and hopefully eliminate the major problems on those planets he ignored while on his greater mission.

I also think it important to remember the story element when coming up with one's figures - this is a roleplaying game after all, and as such what makes for the best story is of paramount importance.