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oztrickster
Since: Jun, 2010
What trope would cover a set of minions who are followed for a sub-plot or side-story, the main thread of the work following their boss? I would imagine that this could apply to any group of such secondary characters, good or evil.
For a concrete example, look at the webcomic The Fourth: The main plot follows Skärva (an evil overlord), his main henchman and their adopted ally. Parallel with this we have a connected plot following a group of named minions, currently acting on his orders as part of his overall plot.
I'm tempted to call them a Quirky Miniboss Squad, but they don't seem to be acting as a distraction for anyone and have no obvious overarching theme (other than being minions for the same overlord). They don't seem to fit the pattern of a Terrible Trio, even discounting the disparity in number. Not seeming to be especially ineffective, they don't seem to be a Goldfish Poop Gang.
Additionally, I'm inclined to suspect that the base trope is not villain-specific; I could see a secondary group of characters being followed as they attempt to achieve a secondary objective in support of a hero-driven work.