Courting 3rd party sources can only help. (I've noticed that some Paizo products quote 3rd party materials in their products.)

It builds the community, it ties them to the company, engender's loyalty, and to be clear... its not competition. Some people genuinely want something different that you cannot or will not provide.

To be honest, I think WotC started adopting the viewpoint that 3PP were competition as a result of their screw up when 3.0 was released. They, for some stupid reason, released the PHB in one month, the DMG the next month, and the MM the next month. This meant that fans that wanted to try playing the game right after the PHB was released found they didn't have any documented monsters to use. Enter Sword & Sorcery (or whoever it was). They realized the flaw and went ahead and released their own Monster hardcover book (following the OGL) the same month as the PHB was released. Thus, many DMs bought that book just to have some monsters right away. WotC had no one to blame for this situation but themselves, but I suspect that was part of the beginnings of them seeing 3PP as competitors.

If I remember properly, Sword & Sorcery actually arranged that with WotC - it was not a surprise. Monte Cook actually plugged it on the WotC site. (He later plugged Relics & Rituals as well.) Necromancer did the same with The Sorcerer's Amulet.

The early crew for 3e was not nearly so paranoid as later management. Odd as it sounds the general feeling was that having a monster book, even if it was not by WotC, would help the launch of the game.

I think that they were correct in that estimate.

The Auld Grump

Hmm...I'd heard that story the other way around--that WotC realized they made a mistake and a 3PP beat them to the punch. Then again, the person I heard it from hasn't always been the most reliable when it comes to stories.

I do not expect that the current management will try to recapture that culture of openness, and that is the main reason that I expect that 5e will also be a failure.

The design team is a different story - a fair number were/are big supporters of the OGL. If they can persuade the upper management then there is hope for 5e.

The Auld Grump

Just another observation, but Pathfinder has a decidedly mature content. There is stuff which would definitely raise the ire of any family groups (Christian or not) that really get a hold of it.

I'm sort of surprised that there isn't a maturity rating on the books. Remember that its 12 year olds who start getting into this stuff. Can you imagine them bringing it up in Sex Ed?

Pathfinder Campaign Setting, City of Strangers, Page 12.

"The White Lady: This brothel specializes in those risqué desires not even Hospice can fulfill, most notably involving its cadre of undead courtesans. For an extra fee, Madame Krou (LN female human expert 4) will even remove her controlling amulets, allowing her patrons the dangerous thrill of restraining their enraged and predatory conquests by force. While even most of Ankar-Te’s residents blanch at some of the sounds coming from the brothel’s upper stories, regulars enthusiastically point out that “there are some things you just can’t do with a live ’un.”"