I agree that the table is not "required". Although, having said that, I use my table much more than I do using the router on it's own.
You can buy a table that has the fence and various inserts included. However, you still need to spend some $ to get a good one. Cheapos = extremely hard to adjust the fence and the insert fittings can be a wood ruining, catch point if they are not perfect. In short, if investing in a table, don't go for the budget ones. Wait until you can get a good set up.
Another option is to build your own. If you check out wood working magazines, there are constantly new plans for all sizes of router tables, from simple to complex. Most home made versions allow you to get a much superior product without spending the premium on the really high end tables. It will still be an expensive project vs the budget models but you will be much happier and have bragging rights.
You can do pretty much anything, router-wise, without a table though and even with a table, there will still be times you need to disconnect it and use it freehand. In fact, it will make you really wish that you owned two routers so you can leave one permanently affixed to the table.
So I agree. Buy the router first and learn how to confidently freehand it. Then, as cash allows, use it to build yourself a nice table.
