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I prefer plasma for most units, but will always want some melta. So if I only had 1 unit, it would be melta. If I had several units, most of them would be plasma.

Over the course of a game, the plasma will get 3 or 4 more shots and the longer range gives you more flexibility to avoid CC units.

But it's hard to beat the tank cracking of a melta.

In IG squads I prefer melta though, as they die too easily to "gets hot".

I abstain as I don't see this as an answerable question. You're basically saying pick plas/melta ignoring target, platform, and other things in your army, but my choice will depend on exactly those three things. I don't put plasma on my raptors cause it keeps them from assaulting. I may put either on my csm but it depends on if I have anti vehicle covered already by termicide squads or something.

I voted plasma because of the extra range meaning I should get to fire at least one more shot with it. In game terms however it is much more a choice of what I want the unit to do. For squads that are going to hang back and shoot, defending objectives, I go with plasma. For the up-front guys who's job is to kill an MC or knock out vehicles and then die I prefer melta.

This is for my Grey Knights Inquisitor/Henchmen Army.

Yes as if it changed to plasma's/melta's on a platform instead of the guns itself it would deviant into as many different arguments as there are units that can carry plasma's/melta's.

I think I prefer plasma in anything that isn't Alpha/counter striking...

For instance, I'd never put plasmas in a LoTD squad, but I would frequently have plasma in midfield objective holding units