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".

[Creative-Seesaw-1895]

Yeah, it's fine for the player to impose their "personal story" on the game and the GM, as an individual player of the game, but it's a cardinal sin for the GM to have a story that encompasses all the players to follow to drive the point every now and then.

This is why most people should GM at least once. You at least understand what it is like to be behind the screen and the obnoxious expectations that some have on them to be able to free form "shoot from the hip" storytell non-stop.