Storytellers need to remind themselves that player agency matters in all facets of the game, not just at the table. They should also be eager to court any source of player “buy in” and enthusiasm, which certainly should encompass the campaign’s theme and narrative, but it can also include game mechanics. If a player organically chooses to change their planned build, and instead focuses on the use of an overpowered magic item the Storyteller gives them, that isn’t agency, that’s the Storyteller dictating a character’s build for them, in essence. So long as reasonable guardrails are in place, the character-building game adds value to TTRPGs. 

Metaplot in tabletop RPGs has proven to be among the most strangely divisive features any game line can offer. For a brief definition, in the context of RPGs Metaplot generally refers to a set of canon events that slowly reshape a fictional setting over time. Traditionally Metaplot was offered through a slow drip feed of information in supplemental books, though it was sometimes also updated in large chunks in new editions of core books. While Metaplot bore a poor reputation as of the mid 2000s, I think we need to reassess its role in the hobby. Honestly, I miss it.