Board Thread:Fiction Universe Discussion/@comment-4242472-20160124202207/@comment-1370845-20160125184125

The problem goes well beyond fiction involving a single antagonist which everyone teams up against. It is a problem in any situation involving warfare or diplomacy. It's a simple truth that if the factions involved are significantly more powerful than yours, you either need to beef yours up, or give it minor involvement. Whether this is a war against multiple factions, or a war against one, or even if it's a trade agreement between powers much richer, if you can't compete, you're left out, or you must rely on Deus Ex Machina storytelling to explain your involvement.