History Main / LittleHeroBigWar

* ''Film/{{Dunkirk}}'' depicts the titular historical event (the rescue of over 300,000 British soldiers from northern France during the second world war) from the perspective of three small groups of characters. One such group are made up of PinballProtagonists who are just trying to survive and don't make any plot-relevant decisions (which is lampshaded).

* In [[Fanfic/SugarPlums]] the fan fiction spends a lot of time building up to actual social and political causes of the Land of Water, however the moment it starts all the main characters promptly leave the country and do other things. In setting it's justified because they are building up their resources so they can meet up with and help bolster the rebellion which they do eventually return with.

* ''KellysHeroes'' is a bank heist movie set against the backdrop of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. The fact that a war is going on has its effects on the story, sure, but if it weren't for all the tanks and guns and Nazis the protagonists run into, you may as well be talking about ''OceansEleven''.

* Terry Brooks's ''Literature/TheElfstonesOfShannara'' has the hero Wil Ohmsford protecting TheChosenOne while she makes the journey that will ultimately save the world. In the background, BadAss Druid Allanon and Ander Elessedil lead the combined forces of Men, Dwarves, Trolls, and Elves against the Demonic hordes of [[BigBad The Dagda Mor]].

** {{GURPS}} has a similar system that (nominally) makes it possible to run a major battle. However, much like Exalted above, if a few [=PCs=] can take on an army the "little" qualification is rather lost.

** ''MutantsAndMasterminds'' uses the same system as well, by once again turning a large army into a single character.

* [[TropeOverdosed One of the most well-known examples:]] ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'': A century-long, genocidal conflict between every nation on Earth/wherever (admittedly, there are only four, well, three, now). The main cast? [[CompetenceZone Teenagers]] riding around having magic adventures on a [[GiantFlyer flying bison]]. The [[KidHero Hero]]? Twelve years old (at least, [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld biologically]]).
** ''Avatar'' is an interesting case; part of the premise is that Aang really ''needs'' to get involved in the war in order to bring it to a desirable conclusion, but he needs to master the [[ElementalPowers four elements]] before he can really make an impact on it, and needs to stay out of the way of the major fighting until he is ready for it (not to mention his personal hang-ups about being the Avatar.) The beginning of the second season even has an Earth Kingdom general showing Aang wounded soldiers and trying to convince him that he needs to partake in the fighting. As the series progresses, they get more and more directly involved with the war effort (with much of the second season revolving around getting vital intelligence to the Earth Kingdom high command, and the third season revolving around implementing each side's endgame strategies.)
* Butters in the ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' [[TheMovie movie]] / [[MiniSeries three-parter]] "Imaginationland". He even [[spoiler:resurrects the ''entire fucking world'' using his [[MrImagination imagination]].]]

* Larger-scale example from ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}:'' the GauntsGhosts novels, where the Tanith First is mostly engaged in secondary theatres of war during the Sabbat Worlds campaign, though their side missions are usually vital nonetheless.

* Though most of the series doesn't fall under this trope, ''The Silver Spike'' from the ''Literature/BlackCompany'' series arguably fits this. It's a side story that follows the leftover side characters (including TheChosenOne oddly enough) mopping up the aftermath of the first arc after the main crew has moved on.

* Though most of the series doesn't fall under this trope, ''The Silver Spike'' from the ''Literature/BlackCompany'' series arguably fits this.

** ''Discworld/MonstrousRegiment'' - the titular regiment is obviously part of the army, but an untrained and very minor part, which over the course of the book never actually gets involved in a battle - what it does is ''much'' more important than that.

* ''Film/TheGoodTheBadAndTheUgly'' takes place against the backdrop of UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar. The titular characters, however, are only involved with it in a tangential sort of way for most of the story.

* Inverted in ''DefenseOfTheAncients''. For what is supposedly a large-scale final battle between the Sentinel and the Scourge, each side only fields a maximum of five Heroes and an oddly small number of Mooks.
** Pretty much the way VideoGame/{{Warcraft}} III works period. It's hard to raise a large, useful army when you've got a food cap of 100(''90'' before the expansion), going over certain food limits taxes your gold supply and there are units that can use '''7''' food ([[UpToEleven 8]] with [[InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons neutral dragons]]); this probably stems from the fact that the game was originally planned to be much closer to what [=DotA=] is. It is also justified by engine limitations: the game can only support about 200 units per player before slowing down.
* Played straight with ''VideoGame/WingCommander Privateer''. Although several mission sets have interaction with the local part of the military fighting the Big Honking War, and a few random references by [[TheBartender bartenders]] about said BHW, for the most part the Gemini Sector has limited practical contact with the rest of the war with the [[MegaNeko Kilrathi]].

* ''Film/RedDawn1984''. Obviously the protagonists are involved in [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarIII the war]], but their insurgency is a very minor thorn in the Russian army's side with the regular US Army doing the bulk of the fighting. Made explicit in a scene where they visit the frontlines and get mixed up in a large-scale tank battle.

** Pretty much the way VideoGame/{{Warcraft}} III works period. It's hard to raise a large, useful army when you've got a food cap of 100(''90'' before the expansion), going over certain food limits taxes your gold supply and there are units that can use '''7''' food ([[UpToEleven 8]] with [[InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons neutral dragons]]); this probably stems from the fact that the game was originally planned to be much closer to what DotA is. It is also justified by engine limitations: the game can only support about 200 units per player before slowing down.

** Pretty much the way VideoGame/{{Warcraft}} III works period. It's hard to raise a large, useful army when you've got a food cap of 100(''90'' before the expansion), going over certain food limits taxes your gold supply and there are units that can use '''7''' food ([[UpToEleven 8]] with the [[InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons most powerful mercenaries]]); this probably stems from the fact that the game was originally planned to be much closer to what DOTA is.

* ''VideoGame/MountAndBlade'' is firmly built around this trope. The entire region in which the setting takes place, Calradia, [[{{CrapsackWorld}}is in a state of perpetual war]] between the nations that it is composed of, while the player character is an immigrant fresh off the boat/caravan/mountain trail who is [[{{WideOpenSandbox}} pursuing their own goals and ambitions]]. At first, this entails riding about the land (fully on their own or with a [[{{ArmyOfThievesAndWhores}} small group of NPC hirelings]]) and clashing with (or running away from) small bands of ruffians, bandits or deserters from any of the numerous armies, all while the war rages in the background. Over time, the player character might develop their small band into a [[{{PrivateMilitaryContractors}} larger, well-equipped mercenary company]] and sign a contract with one of the factions (or join up as a regular soldier with the use of certain mods), riding into battle with one or two of the local lords, maybe even besieging a castle...while the larger war rages in the background. With further time and effort, the player character might even become ennobled and pledge vassalage to a local king, being granted a small village and a castle to rule it from, or capture and claim a castle all by themselves, either becoming a rebel faction (M&B) or declaring their own kingdom with their companions as vassals (Warband)...[[{{RuleOfThree}} all while the war rages in the background]], constant and unchanging. Yes, you can get quite far in the game and leave your mark in various ways, although it requires a ''lot'' of time and effort, but you will '''not''' win a (major) battle all by yourself, you will '''not''' get far without connections and royal patronage at some point, and, as a general rule, you will '''not''' be able (unless really an ''awful'' lot of time and effort is sunk into the game) to affect the ForeverWar in a lasting and significant way.

* ''VideoGame/MountAndBlade'' is firmly built around this trope. The entire region in which the setting takes place, Calradia, is in a state of perpetual war between the nations that it is composed of, while the player character is an immigrant fresh off the boat/caravan/mountain trail who is pursuing their own goals and ambitions. At first, this entails riding about the land (fully on their own or with a small group of NPC hirelings) and clashing with (or running away from) small bands of ruffians, bandits or deserters from any of the numerous armies, all while the war rages in the background. Over time, the player character might develop their small band into a larger, well-equipped mercenary company and sign a contract with one of the factions (or join up as a regular soldier with the use of certain mods), riding into battle with one or two of the local lords, maybe even besieging a castle...while the larger war rages in the background. With further time and effort, the player character might even become ennobled and pledge vassalage to a local king, being granted a small village and a castle to rule it from, or capture and claim a castle all by themselves, either becoming a rebel faction (M&B) or declaring their own kingdom with their companions as vassals (Warband)...[[{{RuleOfThree}} all while the war rages in the background]], constant and unchanging. Yes, you can get quite far in the game and leave your mark in various ways, although it requires a ''lot'' of time and effort, but you will '''not''' win a (major) battle all by yourself, you will '''not''' get far without connections and royal patronage at some point, and, as a general rule, you will '''not''' be able (unless really an ''awful'' lot of time and effort is sunk into the game) to affect the ForeverWar in a lasting and significant way.

** In fact, even the original game is this in-universe; the Gallian conflict is only a tiny part of the massive Second Europan War, which continues to rage on for years after Gallia itself is free of invaders.

* ''VideoGame/ValkyriaChronicles'' is the story of a valiant band of militias fighting at the front to defend their country. Well, ''VideoGame/ValkyriaChroniclesIII'' is not that kind of story: The Nameless mostly do the jobs that will never be recorded in history, some of which deeply undermine the moral legitimacy of the Gallians' struggle.

** ''TabletopGame/{{Scion}} Companion'' provides rules to make running a war scenario a bit easier... largely by turning units of soldiers into "single" characters, system-wise, a little like ''NintendoWars''.