Different things, GoT and BSG in my mind. GoT focuses more on the societal power, politics and manipulation. It rarely pauses to take a good hard look at a character as the choices are being made. BSG has some of that but focuses more on what is going on inside the characters heads as they make their choices from a crappy selection supplied by a bleak universe. But that's just how I feel about it 
*muses* I guess. But in both cases (and in the Witcher) I just feel its about a bunch of people with selfish motivations getting caught up in larger events because of those motivations. Though in BSG I am finding a hard time finding...well I guess survival is one of the most selfish and small motivations you can get.
But in Game of Thrones all of these people want toa dvance their own power and position over the rest of society, and in the process get thrown in the way of events much larger and grander then they have in centuries.
In the Witcher Geralt goes out looking for A. his lost memory. B. his lost love. C. Ciri. And then in the process gets caught up in events much larger then him and his motivations.
In The Hobbit the Dwarves simply want to get home and reclaim their homeland from a Dragon, and in the process are the opening shots of events and wars of a grand world changing level.
In Origins the Human Noble gets involved in the story for revenge of his family and in the process stops the world from being consumed by a Blight.
I think of all the big story miscues Inquisition had, which they had...well a few...a very few...but this one was the largest. The Inquisitor had no personal reason, no 'inciting event' to get involved in the story.