How Much Input Does the GM Get on Player Characters?

 

This was stirred into motion by a post on an RPG Facebook group that pushed some buttons for me. In general it described how someone was starting up a new campaign and in so many ways it was the complete opposite of  my thinking on the subject. I figured this might be worth some discussion.

One of the statements was about how they usually start a campaign and this included some perfectly reasonable and expected stuff like world info but then it mentioned "... reasons they are there, some drives, and background story ... " mentioning that this could be a group one and some personal ones.

I have to ask even here - whose characters are these again? Why are you giving me drives or background at all? Reasons to be there is a little more flexible but even that can get tricky.

As for the specifics of the new campaign they mentioned some totally acceptable things but then it got into a family tree chart that showed how they know each other and some NPCs, along with a comic strip the GM created covering the starting story and background for the PC's.

For the chart there were more than 20 characters connected by various lines showing how one knows another - this is the beginning of a campaign with 5 PC's. I was kind of surprised as 

a) that seems like a lot of relationships for a game that hasn't even kicked off yet -if you have to chart it out like that maybe that's too many connections, and 

b) did this come from the players? or is this the GM setting all of this up?

It just seems like a really heavy GM hand for the start of an ongoing campaign. Defining the starting situation I get completely - Paladin Steve is setting up a new campaign that allows whatever background situation you want but it has to end with "you joined a caravan and travelled to a new city" and then he's starting the game in that new city. This example just seems over the top to me. This isn't a convention game - it's supposed to be the start of a new ongoing campaign. I am much more in the camp of "here is are the rules, the setting, the time period, and the situation - now make up your characters" and then any connections the players want they can work out themselves and run by me afterwards.  I don't care if "traditional party roles" for this particular game are covered - if the party cares they will work it out. I certainly wouldn't presume to start telling them who they know or are related to unless the game has mechanics for that kind of thing  - like Hero's Dependent NPCs or Shadowrun's Contacts - and they need some likely suspects.

I have been playing with the same group for quite a while so I am wondering how common this is out in the wild?  I don't remember it ever being too common except for maybe a brand new GM. Is this a generational thing, maybe a new GM,  or just a one-off?