What if Games Workshop Ceases Trade

Gandlaf the Grey · **Posted:** Thu Aug 27, 2009 8:38 pm

Well what if it happened ?
What would we all do ?
I know we have our complaints but just imagine if it happened.
Who would take the mantle and provide what we all love and crave ?
Get your thinking hats on, because a supply of figures etc on Ebay would only last so long and the prices would rocket...

[Edited by Dagorlad]Please consider your title more carefully. It sounded like an announcement, not a question

hithero · **Posted:** Thu Aug 27, 2009 8:48 pm

Eh? There were hundreds of manufacturers before GW and there are thousands now, wouldn't make the slightest bit of difference to me if the packed their bags tomorrow.

Gandlaf the Grey · **Posted:** Thu Aug 27, 2009 9:04 pm

Forgive my lack of knowledge !!!
I have looked around and it seemed to me their wasn't much else either readily available or a good alternative - hence almost every photo I have ever seen is of a GW one.
I have seen some other figures, Ebob does some great stuff, but again, you don't see many of them in Galleries.
Obviously if I'm wrong I will stand corrected, but as someone who will ' surf about ' and not have the time to look in depth, this is the impression that I got.

gaarew · **Posted:** Thu Aug 27, 2009 9:14 pm

Nothing like an attention grabbing title, eh?

Seriously, there are hundreds if not thousands of mini companies.

The rules for the game are already available, so, it really would make little difference other than a lack of high street stores everywhere.

Gandlaf the Grey · **Posted:** Thu Aug 27, 2009 9:32 pm

So i stand corrected.
Perhaps my question should have been - Why do we only see GW models ?
I understand what you are saying that there are other traders, but I haven't really seen any. As my interest is purely the Hobby side, where are these figures ? Are they the 28mm so they will at least match on height ?
And is there a range out there to match what is avaiable at GW ?

Corsair · **Posted:** Thu Aug 27, 2009 11:41 pm

hmmm, there are ranges out there which would work all the same.

kelts make nice wildmen and dunlendings, whilst some of ebobs minis would make nice gondorians. there are limetless options. The only thing that gives GW the edge is their tolkein licence...

hithero · **Posted:** Fri Aug 28, 2009 6:51 am

Gandlaf the Grey wrote:

Forgive my lack of knowledge !!!
I have looked around and it seemed to me their wasn't much else either readily available or a good alternative - hence almost every photo I have ever seen is of a GW one.
I have seen some other figures, Ebob does some great stuff, but again, you don't see many of them in Galleries.
Obviously if I'm wrong I will stand corrected, but as someone who will ' surf about ' and not have the time to look in depth, this is the impression that I got.

This link might help: http://theminiaturespage.com/man/ for a list of manufacturers or just look at their home page to see the daily releases. You only see GW because they have stores all over the country and are noticeably visable, most manufacturers are just that and only do mail order or have just their own single shop. Because GW products are easily available, this is what the kids see and buy and is all they look for, even on, like yourself, ebay - just do a browse in the wargame catagory to see hundreds of alternatives or go into WH Smiths and by the latest wargame magazines.

Have you even looked in the non-lotr showcase forum on this site? There you will see my plastic Celts that will fit in perfect with LOTR at a fraction of GW prices.

Dagorlad · **Posted:** Fri Aug 28, 2009 7:10 am

You really need to have a look around the place Gandlaf and see what sheer volume of gaming companies out there.

Of course, there is only one company licenced to produce 25mm Lord of the Rings minis using designs from the movie, so we're all tied to that company. But many of the gamers here have enough minis in their painting backlogs to last for decades, myself included.

Dorthonion · **Posted:** Fri Aug 28, 2009 8:01 am

If Games Workshop closed completely, I would hazard a guess that New Line would quickly find another company to handle the production of minis and games based on the films - in the same way they licence toy and collectibles manufacturers to produce the 'play' items and the serious stuff (like replica swords, shields, helmets). Bear in mind that the 2 Hobbit based films will appear in 2011 and 2012, with DVD/blu-ray releases in 2012 and 2013 so there will be 3-4 years of very widespread publicity in all the media worlwide, and the original trilogy will be released on blu-ray with more extras, possibly including the extended extended version (ie, scenes from Lothlorien not included in the EEDVD). Lots of publicity = lots of interest = lots of money being spent = lots of profit....

There are plenty of companies who could make plastics and metal minis, and I am guessing that they would retool some, possibly all of the moulds completely, the 28mm scale is likely to remain in place. The rules could be reworked, radically or otherwise.

So, as the guys have already said, while there is a possibility of a hiccup, given the current state of the world economy, I am sure that it would be overcome. Why? Profit, folks, profit. There is money to be made out of fools like me who spend too much on minis... (and swords, helmets, shields, banners, staffs, knives, gauntlets....)

Gandlaf the Grey · **Posted:** Fri Aug 28, 2009 9:20 am

Like I said earlier, I'm afraid I don't have the time to browse around looking for different options, but this has opened my eyes. Thanks to all for that.
If I ever get chance I will have a look around, but that will be hard in the foreseeable future.

Uruk Engineer · **Joined:** Wed Aug 26, 2009 4:36 pm **Posts:** 11

I'm only interested in LoTR figures. I'd be sad to see GW go.

...just think how expensive the remaining models will become!

aelfwine · **Joined:** Sat Aug 22, 2009 12:23 am **Posts:** 508

GW probably produces the highest volume of miniatures of anyone out there. So fit they stopped trading tomorrow, the hard core SBG fans would still have hordes of figures to purchase from ebay or independent retailers selling off their stock.

Yes, we'd all be vaguely sad that a future favourite wasn't made, but you would almost immediately see a dedicated fan community making new rules, supplements and so forth. You would also see small miniatures companies creating miniatures which by some mysterious coincidence you could use with the SBG or WOTR rules. (While Ebob has a bad experience with New Line, its GW itself who is most aggressive at chasing out potential competitors)

Also, Mithril miniatures would fall over in shock.

However, even with the shrinking hobby market and even with a precipitous trail off in the LOTR collector's market (the movies are 8 years old now! feel old?) another serious hobby company would immediately begin talks to buy GW IP such as Warhammer and GW's LOTR license. Concievably you could have three companies all selling old GW products (one doing Warhammer fantasy, another doing 40k and someone else entirely reselling the LOTR range) and whoever score the LOTR license hiring GW sculptors to make future releases.

The key change would be the end of the GW hobby stores, which are the mainstay of GW's market control in the UK and other parts of the world. That they have these bright and obvious stores on UK high streets or North American suburban malls means that potential customers don't have to actively seek them out - the stores are right there. They, unlike so many other hobby sellers, still get casual drop in customers. This would see a continued shrinking of the hobby market. However, it might mean that other "independent retailers" would take some of that market share.

So, not a huge change, really.

Gavin

northfarthing · **Joined:** Tue Nov 07, 2006 4:49 am **Posts:** 55

As others have said, GW going under would mean nothing. Many of us play other games anyway, so would just move on.
I used to have quite a bit of ICE Middle Earth Role Playing stuff from the 80s, and that company I think has been gone for forever. Back then though they had the back cover of every single Dragon magazine.

Heck, even GW advertised in Dragon (which is entertaining, to look back at my Dragon collection for the GW ads!).

Games Companies come and go, gamers are always around. GW going? Meh. Someone else will pick up.

Look at what Paul Sawyer and John Stallard have done with http://www.warlordgames.co.uk/ . For those who may not know, Paul was "Fat Bloke", and edited White Dwarf during what might arguably be it's Best Years. John wrote English Civil War for Warhammer Historical, and it's a smashing set of rules.

Life goes on. GW is not the alpha and omega of gaming. Not by a long, long, long shot.

Fall of Fingolfin · **Posted:** Sat Aug 29, 2009 7:29 pm

hmmmm . . . proably brake down and cry

i dont think any other manufacture does minis that detailed witch could replace GW's . . . they are such detailed minis and i have never seen better.

Hallpers · **Posted:** Sat Aug 29, 2009 7:51 pm

Fall of Fingolfin wrote:

hmmmm . . . proably brake down and cry

i dont think any other manufacture does minis that detailed witch could replace GW's . . . they are such detailed minis and i have never seen better.

There are lots of companies that makes at least as good miniatures as GW. eBob, Foundry, and Perry are just a few of them.

Fall of Fingolfin · **Posted:** Sat Aug 29, 2009 8:16 pm

yea but they just dont give you the range of LOTR like gw does

gaarew · **Posted:** Sun Aug 30, 2009 7:04 am

Fall of Fingolfin wrote:

hmmmm . . . proably brake down and cry

i dont think any other manufacture does minis that detailed witch could replace GW's . . . they are such detailed minis and i have never seen better.

Obviously you have never seen the plastic Wood Elves...

Maybe it is time to take of the GW blinkers and do a little searching.

A lot of GW sculptors past and present have either done freelance work for other manufactures, or have moved on and set up their own miniatures company.

Felix P did a stint with GW, before doing the vast majority of the original Trollbloods line for Privateer Press's link HORDES game, and now is producing some excellent stuff for his Avatars of War game link.

The Perry twins, who did most of the LotR range have their own company - http://www.perry-miniatures.com/

Andy Foster runs Heresy Miniatures - http://www.heresyminiatures.com/

'Eavy Metal guru Mike McVey did some sculpting for the D&D Chainmail game, moved onto Privateer Press, set up their P3 paint range then moved back to England, where he now runs Studio McVey, alongside his wife Ali - http://www.studiomcvey.com/

That should get you started.

Dorthonion · **Posted:** Mon Aug 31, 2009 5:21 pm

I found this interview on Youtube with a representative of Mantic games at Gencon 2009 - see Gaarew's thread also - http://www.one-ring.co.uk/phpBB2/viewto ... ght=mantic - as they are coming up with some very, very clever design and packaging of plastic elves:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9s-xCQrALM
Very, very interesting.

aelfwine · **Joined:** Sat Aug 22, 2009 12:23 am **Posts:** 508

Oh, and...

ICE are still in business. Or at least, there is a company Doing Business As ICE, which makes Rolemaster (the system used for MERP) and has a rather nice range of RPG supplements, including one called Cyradon, which you should all go buy.

(Because I wrote it. heh.)

In other news, want to see some really detailed Wood Elves?
https://www.thunderboltmountain.com/ind ... a9bfa03293

Some eye wateringly detailed High Elves?
https://www.thunderboltmountain.com/ind ... a9bfa03293

At some point, probably well into next year, I am going to get a lot of these, as Mirkwood Elves and Lindon Elves

Tom Meier also does work for these guys:

http://www.darkswordminiatures.com/store.html

Who have some lovely figures (really, really detailed). Be warned, there are pictures of painted naked metal miniature breasts.

And that's just off the top of my head. Andrea Miniatures have six rather lovely fantasy 30mm figures I have my eye on too.

Gavin

What if Games Workshop Ceases Trade

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