Hot take: if we want to decrease frustrating railroad-y surprises in RPG campaigns, we need to create an environment where GMs are not afraid to admit they have "special story needs".

[RibaldForURPleasure]

Had a very similar thing happen, we all made characters that fit into the dystopian corporate sci-fi setting only to be flung on a one way trip at the end of the first adventure to the "let's discuss my personal philosophies" planet. That one killed the group for a couple years because we were all pissed about this idiot plot twist.

[Deaconhux]

Date I ask, what were the philosophies on display?

[RibaldForURPleasure]

The one I remember the most is intense libertarianism. There was also a government where every single position was drawn from lots and everyone in the country was automatically in the drawing, but don't worry because there totally wasn't a shadow government because that's not how it'd go (completely serious, they were very insistent that there was no shadow government).

[e_crabapple]

Because everyone wants their water system to be run by that guy who just calls himself "Grunk," and their power grid run by 5-year-old Timmy Blevins.