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Warmachine can get expensive, mainly because you actually want to buy a variety of different units and constantly change things in your army.

That said, I can build a perfectly good "starter force" for $150 or $130 or so if I get discounts online or locally if you play 500 Points.

But once you add in certain units (like Cav), things can get very expensive. Your examples are probably the worst bits for PP games - Cav and a Merc unit that if you're going to use it, you will need a lot of models.

For 40k and Marines/Tau it's very easy to build an army - most things are plastic and you generally don't take a lot of variation. For Tau it's 3x Hammerheads, X number of Firewarriors, and then Suits.

Marines are very similar. You can stretch things pretty far if you mix and match kits just right or get the right bundle deal.

Moz wrote:The problem with cost in WM is that you'll have a good 750 point army (equivalent of 1850 in 40k as the standard tournament size list), but it didn't sink your bank account and it fits nice and easy into a carrying case (fewer models). So you think: "Hey, I've got the room, I'll get some more figs in case I want to play the list a different way". 6 months later you own every fig PP produces and are complaining about the cost vs. 40k.

If you limit yourself to a tourney list, the way that most 40k players do. I think you'll find the cost is significantly in the advantage of WM/H.

I play both equally now, but 40k is quickly losing it's grip on me. It feels so basic and stale compared to all the crazy things that happen in a WM/H game. I call 40k 'Scoophammer' now, because it seems like all we're doing is just scooping models. Each player has a shooting phase and a scooping phase, repeat until one of you gets sick of it or the game ends.

WM/H is incredibly difficult though and can be a real ego bruiser for the casual player that is more interested in pushing mini's around than actually competing for the win. There are so many powers in the game that will change every match and every combination that you've really got to live the game in order to keep up with it fully.

I think you hit it right on the head with your first point.

When I build an army for WHFB or 40k, I generally build a list that works, without a whole lot of variation on that style. Because generally in WHFB or 40k, there isn't much variation on what works, or if there is, it's small. The current Daemon army I'm building is pretty limited in what it's using: Horrors, Flesh Hounds, Flamers, Furies - then you add characters. I will change things around slightly with the list, but generally it will be composed of those elements.

For WM and Hordes, if I just built one list and stuck with it, I'd be well under what I spend on a GW army. But with WM/Hordes the ability to swap and customize your list based on different selections is far more immense than what is available with most GW armies. At least in terms of being able to switch to different styles of play or changing out units but still have the army be decent in the game.

Boring Maths & Analysis

On some level it sure does suck when comparing models between GW and PP. Metal unit prices are fairly comparable, I'm looking at doing a Circle army and one unit I want is a full unit of Wolves + UA. That's 12 Metal Infantry Models which will cost: 33 (box of 6 w/ leader) +11 (blister of 2) +11 (blister of 2) + 18 (unit attachment of 2 models) = $73 (or $55 without command)

Compare that to GW's metal infantry for WHFB (with command) which under their new scheme is generally $20 for 5 models, and $22 for 3 command models + 2 more generic dudes. So you're looking at about $62 for what ends up being 15 models instead of 12.

The difference or illusion of cheapness is that for PP games, those 12 guys will make up anywhere between 14% - 22% of your army. In GW games, you're looking at the same number of models representing a very small percentage of your army and most importantly just having 15 guys with command generally isn't a very useful unit, where as the equivalent in PP games is about as good as it gets for that unit (generally).

So on a pure "I get X number of models for Y amount of Dollars" I believe GW is going to win. And when you start comparing a set of 10 models for a unit for Warmachine to a plastic regiment box for WHFB or 40k, there's just no contest on this level.

On the other hand, there are many instances of GW just screwing you over model-to-unit wise. If I wanted to build a Dark Elf army, that would include say 3 units of 5 Harpies, a very solid and near mandatory choice for the army, that will cost me $120, and net me an extra model I don't need buying from GW. The same thing applies to Shades, who are also a very good unit that many people will take, that will come in similar configurations. You will pay through the nose for units like that.

They are about on par weight wise with the Jacks/Beasts, and the box comes with 3 of them, so you do the math.

Also I wouldn't be surprised if there was some of the good old fashioned "this unit will take up XYZ number of points and are effective", which means that they are at liberty to charge a bit more for them than usual - kinda like GW and Terminators.

They screw up sure, hell I'm trying to get rid of my Winterguard, but they had problems back IN PRIME. At least now there's a good reason to take them if you go all out with it.

If this was say, GW, then they would languish for years until maybe they got new models and GW decided to make them awesome in the next codex.