Warhammer vs Warmachine

[Gligarman2]

Hey! I just got into wargaming and I would like a detailed list of the pros and cons of WH40K and WM/H. Thanks!

-Respectfully
GM2

[Erloas]

I think its going to be fairly hard to find an unbiased comparison between the two. Most people get very dedicated (and defensive) of their system and not a lot of people change, and most of the ones that do change is because of players rather then the system.

And in the end, it usually is the type of players that you will be dealing with that makes or breaks most games. So the thing to do is check out local groups for each system and talk with them and they should give you an idea of the system as well as what you can expect when playing. And depending where you live you might find only one of the systems has any active players, so thats the system you should choose because it doesn't matter which system is "better" if you have no one to play against. One group might be ultracompetitive and the other might be really casual, one might be strict on painting and proxies while the other might not care, one might play a lot of group games while the other plays more singles, one may simply meet on days that don't work for you, and you can be on either side of those preferences.

Personally I prefer WH Fantasy to 40k and I've never played Warmachine and don't know anyone who has.

[Tengu_temp]

Warhammer is more popular, has more and more varied sides to choose from, and is bigger in scale. Warmachine is easier on the wallet, has more focus on the units' personal abilities, and somehow managed to make the good guy faction also the coolest one. And by somehow, I mean goggles, trenchcoats and magitech guns.

[Klose_the_Sith]

This sort of question gets asked a lot and the answer never changes. It's all about players.

Go meet your local gaming groups / gamers. Hang out at the games store, if need be, but generally (in my experience) all the cool stuff is happening at regular meetings and that's where you can really find stuff out. You'll also potentially find out that neither are popular because 6mm ancients are the rage. Or whatever. The point is that wargaming is a social activity and thus cannot be entirely about you looking them up and down and then making a choice. If you already know that groups exist for both then go Warhammer Fantasy - just don't pay GW prices

[Hawkfrost000]

I am blessed to live in an area with some very mellow wargamers, often ones who play both Warhammer and HordesMachine, including myself. I love both games, but in very different ways. The general consensus on the comparison is this:

If you want to drop in, pick up a game and play, bring Warhammer 40K. Nothing beats it for sheer availability. If someone just decides to drop into the game store on the off chance, they will probably have 40K, and odds are you will have a smoothly paced and fun game.

If you are playing a tournament and want a fast paced and competitive game with tight rules allowing for 4, 5 per 6 games in a day, then play Warmachine/Hordes.

It just really comes down to that, Warmachine is better for Tournament play than Warhammer. My personal choice of system really depends on what i feel like when i roll out of bed on Sunday morning (gaming day). Luckily i recently got a new case thats big enough for both my Dark Eldar and Cryx.

Though recently i've been playing a lot of Infinity, a system i highly recommend.

DM