I agree that every word you use communicates something. To quote someone clever whose name I forgot, 'it's impossible to not communicate'.
And because of that, routines kick ass. At the core of it, the task of the PUA is to convey his personality. The only way to do this is to use material - the material is the vehicle for your personality to ride in. And since it's going to be the same personality you attempt to convey, you will most likely be using the same material. We are performing artists, remember that. Much like comedians, our rehearsed material helps us convey who we are.
Someone here mentioned using the same material over and over is lame. But... everyone does it. And I don't just mean PUAs, I mean everyone who is at least a little socialized. Is there anyone who claims they've never told the same story to two different people? Am I not getting something here? I highly recommend Swinggcat's "Demistifying Charisma" (it's only 6 pages long, but it really shared some good insights about routines).
One point I picked up from the discussion (can't remember who made it, but credit where due) is that you have to be congruent with your material. And while I agree assuming value is just great, I see nothing wrong with having some rehearsed material.
Some people seem to have the idea that in a routine you're supposed to indirectly brag about how great you are. IMO, that's not it at all.
A lot of the routines I use are just dumb games - 5 questions, for instance. Or 'tell me 3 interesting things about you, make one of them false, and I'll try to guess which one is a lie. Then I'll do the same for you'. I'm not bragging, but I'm subcommunicating that I'm fun and I don't like boring conversation. I'd much rather find out about a girl through a fun game than through a painful interrogation-like process. Same goes for the 5 questions game. I explain WHY it works afterwards (silly as it may sound), and I'm subcommunicating that I'm an interesting, cunning guy who's obviously been out and about a lot, and has probably won quite a few drinks in his time. What I like to do then is to give away the drink I've won - again, subcommunicates I don't take everything seriously and I'm a giving guy.
Those are just examples.
And yes, I agree that if you are congruent with your material it will radiate to your targets. At the same time though, don't overestimate women's ability to read you. As amazing as it is, she doesn't know you until you convey your personality to her. If women could just see RIGHT through you, PU wouldn't exist. There would be no need to convey your personality. It would just 'convey itself' sort of speak.
Quote:
When people filled their brains with so much stuff, they become a mess inside.
How little faith you have in the members of this forum...

J/K
To reiterate my point, though: in order to consistently convey your personality, you need some rehearsed material. Plus, having a couple routines up your sleeve gives you something to talk about should you blank. They're also a great way to cut off threads which are dead ends (such as target+obstacle talking about their common friends you don't know - jump into the best friends test. Happened to me on a few occasions already, and I only started this summer).
Don't shoot me, just my point of view.