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If 40k became stagnant I'd probably switch to Battletech or Dust Warfare.

Hey, i might as well throw my lot in the ring.

If GW did go we would all miss them to some degree, I know they are expensive but at least you have that option there if you wish and they will alway be brining out new models.

Plus where else can you go and buy the stuff on the high street, not many other games have this option.

 snooggums wrote:

 Peregrine wrote:

davou wrote:
Hasbro would snatch up the IP through Wizards of the Coast in the chapter 11 asset sale. It would actually be a good thing.

This. And the community wins as GW's IP is finally in the hands of professionals who know how to produce a balanced and fun game.

Ugh, I would much rather a company continue the grimdark theme like how Catalyst Games kept Battletech true to its roots than what Hasbro's involvement has done to D&D.

On the other hand what they've done with MTG has been awesome, and hopefully they'd be smart enough to recognize a good product and not make game-destroying changes to it.

 MrScience wrote:
If 40k became stagnant I'd probably switch to Battletech or Dust Warfare.

Battletech is still around? Isn't FASA still dead and buried? ....well I suppose there's that clix game.

It's not something I can see happening, despite diminishing financials, at least for the foreseeable future; the only thing I can imagine is the share price dropping to the point where someone comes in and buys them out, as was rumoured with Bandai many years ago.

Speaking hypothetically, if they did disappear it would be a massive blow to the industry (at least here in the UK) on multiple levels. The stores serve as a big recruitment tool for getting new players into the game - a lot of those players then go on to try and buy other games and systems. Also, a lot of the games designers themselves started their careers with GW - there is a pool of games design talent around Nottingham that is responsible for a high proportion of new games, and that would be disrupted if GW disappeared.

I think whatever you think of their business practices (or not), they are an integral part of the fantasy/sci-fi wargaming market. And I think even those of us who have become wary of the company's transformation into one that is occupied by suits on all levels, would rather see a regeneration or reform within it, rather than seeing it go belly up.

Since a lot of 3rd parties now provide better support for the specialist games than GW do, I imagine the same would happen to the core games if GW folded or killed any of them off. There would probably be some confusion for a while and a reduction in new gamers, but the games would themselves continue, and the price would probably drop as more competition opened up.

When FASA went under each different game IP was sold off, some to video game companies some to tabletop companies. the german company fanpro got shadowrun and battletech, then licenced battletech to Wizkids who did the terrible clix game. Catalyst games got in the mix licencing the original battletech rules and released "Classic Battletech" and basically continued the plot line and rules from the 4th ed box set.


This basically what would happen if GW went under. fantasy to one company, 40k to another and it would chug along as long as it had fans to dump money into it.

 KalashnikovMarine wrote:

 MrScience wrote:
If 40k became stagnant I'd probably switch to Battletech or Dust Warfare.

Battletech is still around? Isn't FASA still dead and buried? ....well I suppose there's that clix game.

Good thing is: the company that takes over GW in such a case can't be worse!

 Sigvatr wrote:
Good thing is: the company that takes over GW in such a case can't be worse!

One thing I've always found to be excellent about GW is their customer service for orders that have gone wrong. This is something that I've had major headaches with in other companies. So to be fair, it could be worse. There's always room for deterioration!

My $0.02.

First and foremost, GW really isn't the lynch pin of the TTWG community. It is the big dog on the scene, but it isn't what holds it up.

Some how, some way, GW goes under and files for bankruptcy.

The Future: An IP like those under GWs roof would not stay out of play for long, not long enough for the community to claim it and hombrew things for it. Someone would buy up the rights, sift through what they feel they can work with, and then focus on those. We might see some progress of the story, some new armies, and some thinning of others.

But let's assume, since we are assuming already, that worse comes to worse and GW goes under without anyone picking up the IPs.

The Player Community: Not shocked but also shocked. We all expected it but never really thought it would happen. This would be a big topic for a while on message boards, especially wargaming boards. People will still play and possibly even create their own story line. Eventually we would see one website as the place to go to for the best in 40k/WHFB/Specialty Game support.

The Competition: Some time would pass, but eventually a large chunk of people will start to look for games that are still being updated and progressed. Other companies would then see an upswing of sales, as long as they remained unaffected by what ever caused GW to go under. Some companies will handle the influx while others will fumble and struggle.

I doubt GW would completely go under. If bankruptcy works in the UK like it does in the US, they would declare bankruptcy, reorganize their business model (probably sell off the IP's they do nothing with anymore) hopefully sack all the upper management, get new investors and new (hopefully smarter) upper management, and come back swinging.

boyd wrote:
I'm sure PP would buy GW out. I mean they make a much better product when it comes to minis, games, and tournament scene. You'll start playing 40K like you have a pair.

PP isn't big enough to support GW's model range. I also doubt they have the capital to purchase GW's assets even at a discount. Also, having models from both companies I can honestly say that PP's models are not superior to GW's models. PP's rules and tournaments are superior, however, and GW is quite open about having no desire to make the definitive wargame rules set or to cater to the tournament crowd.

OT: I'm going to be honest about tournaments; I've not seen many where the people playing aren't complete jerks. This is true for MtG, Chess, 40k, WM, and just about any other game. This is the single thing that keeps me away from the tournament scene. I can handle the competition but I simply have no desire to be in the same room as a bunch of jerks getting their passive agressiveness on.

 KalashnikovMarine wrote:

 MrScience wrote:
If 40k became stagnant I'd probably switch to Battletech or Dust Warfare.

Battletech is still around? Isn't FASA still dead and buried? ....well I suppose there's that clix game.

Battletech is alive and well and living in Catalyst games. You can get a gak load of free stuff over at http://www.catalystgamelabs.com/ and http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/ and the figures are still available through Iron Winds.

It is a great game, and the system is excellent with a strong following.

As for GW, and Brankrupcy? No. Never going to happen, unless they want it to happen.

They have a very strong backbone in the banking and college sectors with an Alumni that are financially sound. Irregardless of how stupid some of Gervice, Wart, and Companies calls have been, they have a very sharklike business sense.with some serious background players doing very well by them.

 Grot 6 wrote:

 KalashnikovMarine wrote:

 MrScience wrote:
If 40k became stagnant I'd probably switch to Battletech or Dust Warfare.

Battletech is still around? Isn't FASA still dead and buried? ....well I suppose there's that clix game.

Battletech is alive and well and living in Catalyst games. You can get a gak load of free stuff over at http://www.catalystgamelabs.com/ and http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/ and the figures are still available through Iron Winds.

It is a great game, and the system is excellent with a strong following.

As for GW, and Brankrupcy? No. Never going to happen, unless they want it to happen.

They have a very strong backbone in the banking and college sectors with an Alumni that are financially sound. Irregardless of how stupid some of Gervice, Wart, and Companies calls have been, they have a very sharklike business sense.with some serious background players doing very well by them.

Time to rebuy my star of Clan Wolf mechs and elementals.

 KalashnikovMarine wrote:

 Grot 6 wrote:

 KalashnikovMarine wrote:

 MrScience wrote:
If 40k became stagnant I'd probably switch to Battletech or Dust Warfare.

Battletech is still around? Isn't FASA still dead and buried? ....well I suppose there's that clix game.

Battletech is alive and well and living in Catalyst games. You can get a gak load of free stuff over at http://www.catalystgamelabs.com/ and http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/ and the figures are still available through Iron Winds.

It is a great game, and the system is excellent with a strong following.

As for GW, and Brankrupcy? No. Never going to happen, unless they want it to happen.

They have a very strong backbone in the banking and college sectors with an Alumni that are financially sound. Irregardless of how stupid some of Gervice, Wart, and Companies calls have been, they have a very sharklike business sense.with some serious background players doing very well by them.

Time to rebuy my star of Clan Wolf mechs and elementals.

Awwwwwwwyeah.


Though I'm iffy about Iron Winds.



I guess GW spoils us a little in terms of detail sometimes.