What If GW went "mainstream"?

[entendre_entendre]

I was sitting in a crowded room thinking about 40k (it happens often), and I wondered what would happen to the hobby if it went "mainstream" (think Warcraft after the South Park episode). If you wanted a theoretical reason, say a popular celebrity (like John Cusack, or Jean-Jaques Jarre, or... or... who the devil do the kids like nowadays?... Gilbert Godfreid) starts playing & gets press about it. the public get their introduction to GW through the entertainment news (i can see them sending a "reporter" to interview someone from GW: "so you sell plastic men?" "actually I'm a customer, the staff's over there..."). suddenly it becomes "in" to play GW games, and the customer index for GW skyrockets.
In short, what I'm trying to ask (without so many interrupt-... dammit! :P ) is what do you think would happen to the hobby as a whole if this scenario occurred? I mean this has always been a somewhat unknown/nerdy hobby, so what would happen if this was very suddenly reversed? Would it be better for all? Would GW get money-drunk and start slacking off? Would it be the same, only more crowded in the stores? I can't be the only one who's pondered this, and I'm interested to see what you all think.
I think if this happened we might actually get a 40k flick... and have some Hollywood A-hole totally butcher it. *cough* Michael Bay *cough*

[Aegis]

See WotC and what they did to Dungeons and Dragons following games from Bioware, and the introduction of a mini's game...

Watered down rules, bland fluff, and even more rules changes...

[entendre_entendre]

I don't know much about D&D ('twas before my time...), but that seems the most logical outcome.

[Inquisitor Soren]

It would depend a lot, on the GW staff as well as everyones FLGSs, if GW suddenly changed its marketing plan and fluff due to that then yes it would be belly up, at least from my stance. While if they held their course or somehow made it better, faster codex updates, regular errata and faq, more support for certain ranges, it would most likely be better. The FLGSs would also have to be able to cope with a possible sudden influx of new gamers, young and old, and could very well be overrun, I know my local one sure would be. Though it is a small store actually.

If they did a movie, in all honesty it could be the biggest boon to 40k ever if it went well, but its greatest down-fall if it failed...so ya that is a crap shoot imo at least.

Also I would die to see a South Park episode of 40k, could you imagine it?

Wait aren't we already a mini's game? (Couldn't resist sorry.)

[Prometheus]

[QUOTE=entendre_entendre;19276] If you wanted a theoretical reason, say a popular celebrity (like John Cusack, or Jean-Jaques Jarre, or... or... who the devil do the kids like nowadays?... Gilbert Godfreid) QUOTE]

Nice selection of the Hollywood elite...

Anyway thier is at least one celebrity that to my knoweldge plays Fantasy and thats Robin Williams. I hear he has a Scottish Orks army. They all have plaid kilts on. Supposedly he stopped by a local GT but evidence is only 3 or 4 people so its hard to say if it is true. His wikipedia page also mentions that he plays.

I actually think that GW going mainstream is not a horrible thing though. It would stop the massive power creep that GW seems to like and thre minis would get cheaper. However my favorite part of the hobby, the "fluff", would probably go out the window.

[entendre_entendre]

Nice selection of the Hollywood elite...

in my head it's with a "stewie griffon" voice

Anyway thier is at least one celebrity that to my knoweldge plays Fantasy and thats Robin Williams. I hear he has a Scottish Orks army. They all have plaid kilts on. Supposedly he stopped by a local GT but evidence is only 3 or 4 people so its hard to say if it is true. His wikipedia page also mentions that he plays.

I thought I heard about that, supposedly he played the guy who owns the local LGS while filming Jumanji

I actually think that GW going mainstream is not a horrible thing though. It would stop the massive power creep that GW seems to like and thre minis would get cheaper. However my favorite part of the hobby, the "fluff", would probably go out the window.

this is the other possible outcome, but with all the fresh $$ coming in, do you think they'd actually lower the prices? just playing devil's advocate (it's fun!)

[entendre_entendre]

Also I would die to see a South Park episode of 40k, could you imagine it?

i can imagine "nerfed" would become common speak along with "MEQ", "Ultra-smurfs", and "Space Puppies"

[Drew da Destroya]

"nerfed" is slang in quite a few places... online gaming, for instance. Back when I was addicted to WoW, various classes and items were constantly being "nerfed". I'm sure it was also heavily used in Evercrack, WHO, Counterstrike, and really anything else that was updated by the developers.

Honestly, I'm pretty sure I've even heard the term used for Nerf Gun reprints, if they scale back the power. It's a pretty common term, overall.

[Grabnutz]

So having a series of best-selling computer versions of W40K isn't going mainstream? Indeed GW has done better in this arena than D&D.

GW first went mainstream with its cooperation with Milton Bradley and the Space Crusade bordgame series. Every toyshop was piled up with them, and afterwards every car boot sale - which is where many of my marines and orks come from

And what about Vin Diesel's thinly disguised Space Marine movie The Chronicles of Riddick?

[Grumpy Ripper]

[QUOTE=Prometheus;19288]

If you wanted a theoretical reason, say a popular celebrity (like John Cusack, or Jean-Jaques Jarre, or... or... who the devil do the kids like nowadays?... Gilbert Godfreid) QUOTE]

Nice selection of the Hollywood elite...

Anyway thier is at least one celebrity that to my knoweldge plays Fantasy and thats Robin Williams. I hear he has a Scottish Orks army. They all have plaid kilts on. Supposedly he stopped by a local GT but evidence is only 3 or 4 people so its hard to say if it is true. His wikipedia page also mentions that he plays.
.

apperentley Vin desiel plays black templars and Amy lee plays sisters of battle, but these are still urban myths and not confrimed