ANY TABLETOP MINIATURES GAME IS 'MINIATURES AGNOSTIC' IF YOU'VE GOT THE BRASS ONES TO SAY "FUCK IT, WE ROLL"
Now, I lived in England for almost ten years. I'm well aware what the state of wargaming was like there; 'Warhammer' is broadly used to refer to wargaming in the same way as your grandmother understands that a 'Nintendo' plays your little beep-boops. Space is at a premium, and most folks that want to play their Games Workshop games play them at a Games Workshop - wargaming clubs aren't uncommon, but there's an ingrained culture in the minds of those that came up through the GW recruitment process that there is a right way to do things, and that stresses using the correct miniatures, even if you're playing games at home or at a club.
If you play the majority of your games at a GW location or GW event where they only allow their miniatures, okay. Fair enough. Probably best to cleave close to what's permitted by Nottingham. But if most of your gaming takes place at home or at clubs... use whatever the hell you can find. We're living in a golden age of miniatures for all settings, historical periods, games and styles; it's nuts! That's before we get to 3D printing at all!
Consider by contrast something like Bolt Action, or Chain of Command - the biggest presences where WWII-era gaming is concerned. Warlord Games (who makes Bolt Action) also does a range of miniatures, but will let you play with other manufacturers' ranges in their HQ store because fuck it, you can't copyright a Sherman... but more than that, the game's supported more by the sale of books, paints, gaming accessories, and then you reach their miniatures which sell by virtue of being rather good and reasonably priced.
I get that GW wants to maintain their death grip on IP, whatever. That's a whole-ass other tale. But when Warlord manages to support probably the most well-recognized historical wargame by using other companies' miniatures in their own rulebooks, and GW shits out a fresh book you need to play every three weeks... maybe they could chill just a little, just a wee little squit, with people playing Warhammer with 3rd party miniatures.
It wouldn't kill them.
