In my limited experience, the GM provides a story to the players, and their "main" characters mostly react to the environment. Having a look at a couple of random highly-voted (and IMO high-quality) answers on this site, confirms the same impression:
I was going to ask a question on Writers.SE about plot writing for one-offs, but something was not right. The question was coming out clumsy.
A similar question to mine was answered that the main character should experience:
Conflict, Rising action, Climax, Denouement. No subplots, not many secondary characters.
So I attempted to explain that in RPG, we have several equally-important main characters that drive the plot.
Wait, NO. The GM drives the plot! So what is "main" about the main characters?
I have heard about narrative-heavy games, but never been exposed to one, nor do I see many question onson this site about such.
Why are RPG plots/scripts different than those of a book or a movie - in the aspect that not the main character(s) create the story, but the environment around them?
Thank you everyone for the wonderful answers. Here are my personal conclusions:
- Speak with future players/DMs if they too like sandbox play with elements of drama (failing that, sit at home and play Skyrim).
- Try different systems. Try FATE.
- Play with people with imagination, who enjoy using it.