Board Thread:Fiction Universe Discussion/@comment-4242472-20160124202207/@comment-4242472-20160125183253

Techno I think you have a point, but I think this also highlights an issue with how warfare is played out in the fiction universe.

Where the antagonist for a fiction has to be somehow superior in order to be a challenge or to be considered dangerous has created a cycle of "big bad guy comes along, threatens everyone -> heroes endeavor to stop it -> Look for ways to even the odds -> Find a new toy to help -> beat the bad guy" but the cycle repeats. With every cycle the good guys get stronger and the new bad guy has to be even tougher. Which lads to the power creep you mentioned.

We're at a precipice point with this cycle. But this is one of the advantages of symmetrical warfare: There'd be less pressure to level up because both sides are on a relatively equal playing field to begin with. Or we consider exploring methods of asymmetrical warfare that don't involve looking for or developing an "I win this story" machine. Not all stories we've done have done that but as controversial as the Gigaquadrantic Conflicts were, the initial draw was it felt fresh; an alternative to everyone teaming up against one antagonist faction.