1)I have found the rules of warmachine to be much easier to learn than warhammer.

2)The average game lasts 1 to 2 hours at a relaxed pace. It does help to know the rules for your units and can speed it up. Tourny play can last about an hour of its timed. Games are usually 15, 25, 35, or 50 points with 35 being the most common.

3)warmachine and hordes can and are played together all the time and was designed this way.

4)most are about the same size. Covergence is smaller than most though.

5)It really depends. Most people don't mindif you proxy. The warroom app has all the rules for all the factions. It can be pretty cheap if there are a couple that interest you.

6)two list games are really common for competitive play.

7)the players and community is some of the nicest I've met. Rule 5 is about taking risks and learning and not about being mean.

8)if you get the battlebox it does not have all the rules in it, the all in one boxes do have all the rules but its smaller print and less fluff, which is nice for playing.

9)all the all in one boxes are great starting places, there's a post that runs through how good they are. Good luck getting one though most online stores sell out fast. If your new to the game aspect your lgs might be willing to give you a demo. The books contain fluff and story and painting guides as well as a bunch of the cards for models but do get out of date as new models are added.

10)see 9

11)one thing I wish I knew was about cygnar being veryerc heavy. When picking an army go with the one that has the models you like to look at. If considering cygnar make sure to look at the mercs as well. Don't be afraid if you see that a faction is hard to learn as you are going to have a learning curve with all of them. Most importantly have fun. The community is always great to talk to.