Hypothetical catastrophe

[Novrain]

It would be a shame but that is all it would be for me anyway.

Seems to be the majority opinion. If the game is good enough then the fan community in some shape or form would continue it. Just look at NetEA, EPIC-UK or even NetEpic. All game communities still going strong producing new rules / models etc long after the official support has died.

The same would happen with 40k and Fantasy.

[Little Joe]

Well I have three large (6k+) armies to finish and no need for GW really, years of fun for free there (damned), apart from very few big toys. I would buy up some things I would want from eBay, but with finecast out I already did that, so it would not be much.

There are other rules out there, but there is also already great fan support for GW stuff.

No worries here.

[Lars Porsenna]

If GW closed down, I would probably drop out of fantasy wargaming altogether. I'd still soldier on with SF wargaming, but I would probably devote more time to historicals...

Damon.

[Marzillius]

I would keep all my stuff. I will never sell an army.

However, I would keep playing Warhammer untill I have no one to play with. Then I would quit wargaming. I play Warhammer for the fluff, for the models and for the gameplay. Warhammer is one of the most fun games I know. I love the fluff. The models are the very best there is (just admit it, no other company can compare to GW when it comes to good-looking high-quality miniatures). Warmachine feels far too much like Magic: The Gathering, but with miniatures instead of cards, and I play Magic so why play Warmachine (which I find boring anyway)?

[Crazy Harborc]

IMHO only people who can't play anywhere but a GW store/event would be troubled if/when GW does crash and burn.

Oh, I know.....wargamers who only use GW products and or play only GW systems of rules would be in a dither.
On the bright side it will mean no more (at least) annual price hikes. No more every 3-4 years changing the rules of whichever GW set of rules (to generate a "need" for different minies because of whatever being dropped from those rules).

There really are a large number of rules sets and almost an uncountable selection of minies created, made, published and sold by non-GW companies.

[Scaryscarymushroom]

On the bright side it will mean no more (at least) annual price hikes.

Seems to me like the annual price hikes would continue, the only difference being that now you'd need to get your minis through eBay or trade.

I think it's interesting that so many people say they would wait for prices to drop and then snatch everything that they wanted up. It proves that there's demand for the product independent from the company and continued support. Which means that the prices probably wouldn't go down after all.

And what Crazy Harborc says about other companies is very true. There are a lot of them out there; and a lot of them are fantastic.

[Khorneguy]

I'd buy enought to finish all my armies (I have 11 on the go atm) and all the army books, for the background material, then continue my gaming life as it was, but obviously without new additions.

Also, keep an eye out for what company takes up the Hobbit license

[AndrewGPaul]

If GW closed down, I would probably drop out of fantasy wargaming altogether. I'd still soldier on with SF wargaming, but I would probably devote more time to historicals...

Damon.

So you wouldn't keep on playing then?

[x-esiv-4c]

Do what I do now. Buy FoW.

[Sophet Drahas]

I'd either go back to playing 6th/7th edition or sell my stuff and make a down payment on a house.

Either way I don't see it happening anytime soon and somebody would most likely pick up the IP (I.e. Confrontation). With that being said, I held onto my Confrontation figs because I was out of state and forgot about them. Now with them being reissued soon, it'll give me a reason to start working on my Goblins again.

[Coasty]

Let's see...the games I like are 2nd Ed. 40K, Gorkamorka and BFG.

GW could have closed down years ago for all the practical difference it would make to me.

[Westside]

I would have a good laugh at the game company that was unfortunate enough to inherit GW's demanding, self absorbed, whining, gloomy, nerd rage customers.

[paddyalexander]

Depending on who would take over gwPLCs' properties and how the handle the product lines I might actualy start playing/buying again. Right now I do niether.

[Lars Porsenna]

So you wouldn't keep on playing then?

The thing about dead games is that while everyone enthusiastically declares how they they'll keep playing, how they don't need a company putting out product, the reality from what I've experienced is that interest in the game drops off quite a bit over time. So if GW went out of business today, a year from now the player base might still be intact, but 5 years from now? That's the real problem and obstacle for longevity of an OOP game.

So yeah, sure I might still be interested in playing WHFB 5 years after, but I hold no illusions that there would still be a robust player base, or that most players will have moved on to whatever market leader fills GW's space...

Damon.

[Crazy Harborc]

It's very likely that as the last batch of young newbies grows to adulthood, interest in 40K, LoTRs, and the rest...would die off quickly.

GW does bring in young newbies.....into GW systems played by GW customers.

Oh yes, interest in all things GW would/will drop off. BUT...the hobby of wargaming will survive.

[OLIVERASO]

Do what I do now. Buy unreleased stuff. And if GW close down -> lot of guys fired up -> more minis on the market.

[Verm1s]

Probably the inevitable "Cease and Desist" when it comes to selling them... Of course he could make them for his own use but given the rather lengthy legal case currently ongoing in the states regarding Chapterhouse, unless he made them very generic I think he could expect GW to follow the same route in this case too and then it's down to whether he's got the time, money (Unless he's lucky enough to get free representation like CHS) and inclination to fight it.

Yes but he said to do so for every specialist game, so that's including Epic, BFG, Inquisitor. Whilst you could make generic science fiction spaceships without problem to make them recognisable as BFG ship classes without risking a C&D from GW Legal might be a bit more tricky. With Epic, it's going to be even more difficult since even at 6mm (Or whatever Epic is) a tank/trooper/titan that isn't completely generic and is recognisable is also likely to attract unwanted attention from GW legal, ditto Inquisitor... Of course you can keep everything generic, but then that would presumably defeat the object of making them for the Specialist games and, again presumably, recognisable as the various established factions.

Nail on the head. If GW went belly-up and legal considerations went out the window, it'd be a lot easier to put in some kind of support for Specialist Games and their specific settings - miniature-wise at least. More than GW themselves bother with.

And a lot of current generic proxies look a bit cack, too.

I would argue that Inquisitor is exactly the kind of place where you should be exploring things that aren't normal fare.
As such, it would be very easy to produce 54mm models perfectly suited for Inquisitor without GW being able to do a thing about it - GW don't own all things gothic science fantasy.

It'd be a bit difficult to slap aquilas and admech cog-skulls on things, though. Or sculpt a character with obvious 40K weapons (bolt, plasma, melta etc.). Or produce add-on parts for that wonderfully specific and limited Captain Artemis. Or sculpt a 54mm kroot or genestealer that looks good.
I've also recently seen someone advised to remove the bionic arms from his 28mm hooded cultists, before putting them near a webstore. Although that would impinge more on the favourite child of 40K rather than the red-headed SG, and probably elicit a more furious response.

[Liber]

I know its a hypothetical...but it just won't happen.

So...every time I try and think of what my response would be to GW going down, I immediately think "yah right".

So thats all I got

[Justicar_Freezer]

Keep on enjoying Warmachine, Uncharted Seas, Force on Force, Tomorrows War, and continue working on my own rule set for a fantasy system.

I stopped playing 40k awhile ago and 8th edition killed warhammer for me so I moved on to companies who put out rule sets I enjoy more and in the case of Tomorrows war really let me use whatever models I want and make up whatever background I want.

So I doubt I'd even really notice to be honest aside from the great disturbance in the force it would cause amongst the devoted GW fan base.

[gutsmaka]

not...sure. probably go buy an xbox or something. I would be devestated