History Main / LazyBackup

* Parodied [[http://www.adventurers-comic.com/d/0130.html here]] in ''Webcomic/{{Adventurers}}''.

For with a need of logic and explanation however:

** In ''VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss'', during the last fight with Arietta, a DuelToTheDeath, the entire party is there, but Arietta sets the terms as herself and her two monsters versus four of the heroes.
*** A skit before the final battle establishes that the two party members not fighting the boss will be securing an escape route. However, some of the party seems surprised at this plan, suggesting that this isn't standard procedure for them, so this justification only highlights the fact that the entire rest of the game has featured lazy backup.

* ''VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss'' actually offers reasonable explanation and has some plot and gameplay integration going for it:
** The player's team is split into two groups of four because bunched together, combat is a lot more erratic and would cause tactical cohesion. Dividing and conquer is the name of the group's game, and this leads to how the party wins their battles, as it's implied there are a lot of monsters when the party faces battle. Another is to the world's magic system, as the process of marking party members ensures the downplaying of friendly fire and accidentally helping the enemy.
** In some parts of the game, the team is separated with great distances and demands a greater deal of self reliance and teamwork to pull through. One example is maneuvering through a nation wide war avoiding both warring sides of the conflict hellbent on the destruction of the other, and each group is on said sides before they can get to the neutral conflict free zone.
** [[spoiler: In the last part of the game, the party has to split into two groups as they know well that upon defeating the BigBad, the area that they fight on will implode upon itself as the main villain has used his powers to create his domain, and upon his demise, it will fall apart instantly. To ensure that they have a safe escape route, the secondary team is to make preparations for their quick departure and clear a path while the main team confronts the villain directly to stop him before it's too late.]]

* The group of monsters that have attacked the party is more than shown on screen, and ensures that that the entire team is facing combat than just the player's party.

*

** If Frog challenges [[spoiler:Magus for the second time]] and loses. You'll get a game over even though the other two party members just walked off a short distance.

** Averted in ''VideoGame/StarOceanTheLastHope'', as you only get a game over when the entire team is wiped out. However, you're only allowed to switch characters in combat one at a time and with [[{{Cooldown}} a time delay between switches]]. Because of this, getting your active party KO'd generally means anyone you switch in will die alone before you can switch in another.
** ''VideoGame/StarOceanIntegrityAndFaithlessness'' averts it as well by having every party member, even Relia, take part in every fight unless there is some story reason that stops them from fighting.

* Averted in ''VideoGame/StarWarsRepublicCommando'', where your squadmates will revive you if you're down, as long as at least one is left standing. Once all are down, though, it's game over.

* ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil''
** In ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilTheUmbrellaChronicles'', if you have no player two, your so-called "partner" won't lift a finger to stop you from being eaten alive or beaten to death. You can't switch to them either, even though they're supposedly right there and actively conversing with the one you're playing the whole way.
** Averted in ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvilTheDarksideChronicles The Darkside Chronicles]]'', in which they automatically fire on enemies and avoid getting in your way, although you will occasionally have to help them in 'mini cutscenes' where they get grabbed by a zombie.

* ''VideoGame/SweetHome'' averts this. Even though you can only have two parties at a time, if one of them is caught in a RandomEncounter, you can use the "Call" command to take control of the other party and move them to where the battle is taking place so that all five characters can team up. You only have a limited amount of time to move the backup party before the battle resumes again.

# You can't switch out characters that are currently unconscious or dead (permanently or otherwise).
# You can only switch characters when not in battle.
# You can only switch characters in certain locations, such as towns, the world map or in PlayerHeadquarters.

Justified in games featuring FinalDeath if a [[WeCannotGoOnWithoutYou plot-critical character]] is killed. Often times, this trope isn't limited to just VideoGames, either, as many other mediums, especially Anime, Manga, and Comics will be just as guilty of it.

** Perhaps using the key requires a certain amount of concentration that can't be afforded when something has proved that it is quite capable of killing you. [[AcceptableBreaksFromReality Or the game is shortcutting your party heading back to base at the End of Time, switching members, then returning to where you were.]]
** A less justifiable example occurs if Frog challenges [[spoiler:Magus for the second time]] and loses. You'll get a game over even though the other two party members just walked off a short distance.
** Averted in the extra dungeon in the DS version where the main party is trapped and the reserve party comes to free the main party.

** Also averted in that by the end of the game, you'll have eight characters, but only four active in battle at any time. If your first four are knocked out, the game will automatically switch to the other four characters if any of them are still alive. You can also switch individual party members between turns.

* Averted in ''VideoGame/AtelierIris2TheAzothOfDestiny'', as soon a party member falls unconscious another will step on to take his place.
** Subverted in the first game VideoGame/AtelierIrisEternalMana, you can either choose to replace a fallen member or keep it thrashed on the field so you can revive it.

* Averted in the mech battles of ''VideoGame/{{Xenosaga}} 3''. If one mech gets knocked out a backup mech will automatically jump in and replace it. Unfortunately there's only one backup mech so any other [=KOs=] are down for the rest of the battle.
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'': ZigZagged. Your extra party members are left behind in Narshe or the airship, and you can't switch unless you go back there; no instant switch zones. Until you get control of the airship, switching inevitably involves a very long march most of the way across a continent. A bit strange in the FinalBoss fight, where you place all your party members in a queue. After finishing each tier of the boss, unconscious characters are replaced by the next characters waiting in line -- but lose all four members at once, and it's Game Over.
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'', which has a sort of "tag team" mechanic, in which you ''can'' switch party members during battle, but only on that character's turn. If a character is KO'd, then their "slot" is wasted because you can't bring anyone else in until you revive them. Thus, having all three currently active characters KO'd at the same time is a game over, even though you can have as many as four other characters waiting in the wings. Worse still, some enemies will [[TakenForGranite petrify]] then [[LiterallyShatteredLives shatter]] your teammates, depriving you of their spot for the rest of the fight -- when the space could easily be filled by a back-row ally. (Fortunately, they're [[OnlyMostlyDead only mostly shattered]], because they come right back once the fight's over.) The same is said for team members who are literally kicked out of a battle, even if that Kick would not have actually KO'd them.
* Averted in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'': You can only fight with three party members at a time, but you can swap out a front-liner for a reserve PC at any time (if they are not being targeted by the enemy), AND if all three front-liners get KO'd, the game forces you to switch in at least one of the reserve [=PCs=]. You can even target your reserve party-members with buffs and heals, so you can have your secondary party revive your primary after a total-party-KO. In fact, the only way to die is to have all six members of your party KO'd. There is a boss that has instant death attacks -- the only way to win against him is to constantly raise the characters who are not in the front line.

* ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIV'': Averted. There are sections -- caves and things -- where the wagon the rest of the party is riding won't fit, and if you die in that section, it's game over. In areas where you do have the wagon -- the final boss is mercifully one of them -- you can not only switch members, but when all four of your active party members die, the next four will jump out to replace them.
* ''VideoGame/DragonQuestV'': Averted. The cart the rest of the party is riding fits anywhere, and the alternate characters (including the {{Mons}}) automatically switch out -- in fact, it's virtually impossible to beat the final boss without using this system. Also, if your main character dies but there's someone else active in the party, he will be automatically revived by the other character, and that includes the panther.
* ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVI'': Averted; as in the previous two installments, as long as the wagon containing your spare party members is present, they will leap out to provide support if everyone else is beaten. However, as in IV, the wagon where characters not in the party wait doesn't fit everywhere, and so dead party members can't be replaced if it's not present. Mercifully, the final dungeon allows the cart to enter.
** Strangely, even if the wagon can't accompany the active party, the members left in the wagon can still cast healing spells on the away team.

* ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'': Averted; with the right abilities equipped, party members will switch out when they are about to be knocked out.

** Averted by ''VideoGame/TalesOfHearts'''s Link Attack system, which lets you call in non-fighting party members to perform attacks or spells. Linked attacks can be guarded but not interrupted, making it often useful to leave one of the healers in the back row.
** Justified once in VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss, during the last fight with Arietta, a DuelToTheDeath, the entire party is there, but Arietta sets the terms as herself and her two monsters versus four of the heroes.
*** Justified again at the end of the game; a skit before the final battle establishes that the two party members not fighting the boss will be securing an escape route. However, some of the party seems surprised at this plan, suggesting that this isn't standard procedure for them, so this justification only highlights the fact that the entire rest of the game has featured lazy backup.
*** Justified even earlier, as Jade comments on marking allies to avoid friendly fire, and only so many people can be marked as allies at any one time. Reserve party members are presumably not marked as allies at the time.

* Justified in ''VideoGame/TheReconstruction''; Wadassian law restricts your guild to six armed fighters at a time, so other characters aren't allowed to intervene.
** Although, this still begs the question of why [[spoiler:they still don't do anything in the final chapter, where Wadassia has been ''reduced to ruins'' and you're fighting to save the ''entire world''.]]
*** Lawful Stupid?
* Averted in ''VideoGame/EndlessFrontier''. "Those characters you never use" can unleash a support power at any time during another PC's combo, unless the main player character is using a skill or ultimate attack. Or you haven't got the SP. Or you've used all of your support powers already for that combo chain.
* Averted in ''VideoGame/ScienceGirls'' - only your front row of girls can take actions during combat, but you can swap characters in and out of the front row at any time, and if a front-row girl is knocked out, a back-row girl will automatically step up to take her place. Only if the whole party goes down will you get a game over.
* This is MOSTLY avoided in the ''VideoGame/{{Mana|Khemia Alchemists of Al Revis}} [[VideoGame/ManaKhemia2FallOfAlchemy Khemia]]'' series, as you can switch in your back row even when your whole front row goes down. However, a full party in the first game means seven members, and so one member is delegated to stay out of the battle for no good reason.

* One of the ''Manga/BoboboboBobobo'' RPG for the GBA averts this, by letting you change party members during battle. It's still GameOver if the 3 front characters die. The previous one plays it straight.
* Less obviously justified in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'', where the Warden is likewise a mandatory party member: at least one Gray Warden is ''required'' to stop the Blight by the rules of the universe, and [[TheLancer Alistair]] (the only other Warden among the Companions [[spoiler:unless you replace him with Loghain]]) is more comfortable with being the sidekick even though he technically outranks the PC. ''Origins'' has [[NonLethalKO another problem]], though...

** Possibly justified -- characters in parties you don't use will restore a small amount of WP/JP back if they don't fight. So perhaps the other characters are resting off to the side away from the enemy.
* Averted in the first ''VideoGame/ArcTheLad'' game, where all your characters always take part in the fight. played straight in the other episodes: even when you have a dozen human characters and even more mons, they do not take part in the battle: sometimes justified when the characters try to infiltrate enemy facilities, but why would they no go all out when they openly attack the BigBad stronghold?
* In ''Franchise/MassEffect'', WeCannotGoOnWithoutYou is in effect, and the trope is fully justified by the fact that you're commanding an Away Team and the rest of your team are on the ''Normandy'', or in the ending to ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'', [[LetsSplitUpGang working as a secondary fire team on the other route]]. Though it still doesn't address the fact of why neither of the teammates who ''are'' with you are unable to slap some medi-gel on you before you bleed out.
** The ''Citadel'' DLC in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' [[PlayingWithATrope plays with this]] in one sequence, as the squadmates you didn't take with you will still banter over the radio as they make their way across the field off-camera. This culminates in a final scene where the entire ''[=ME3=]'' ground team plus [[GuestStarPartyMember Wrex]] sweeps the rest of the enemy force [[MoreDakka in a hail of bullets]].

* Possibly justified in ''VideoGame/TouhouLabyrinth'', both because (as usual for the setting) nobody is really in mortal danger, and in that your party members are leaving all the time ''anyway'', as they get progressively more bored wandering around the dungeon. ("Motivation to not abandon you" is an individual and trainable attribute.) If you lose your current frontliners, everyone else simply wanders off at once. You ''can'' switch out teammates in combat, and it's assumed you'll be doing so.
** Of course, if everyone you have at the front lines is defeated in combat, it's still a game over, even if you have 8 other people ready to fight.

* Averted in the early VideoGame/{{Wizardry}} games (I-III and V.) Even if your entire party dies in the dungeon, you can make a new one (composed of people you left at home and / or new recruits) and send them out to retrieve the corpses of your dead heroes for resurrection.
* Averted in ''[[VideoGame/EpicBattleFantasy Epic Battle Fantasy 4]]''. You have four party members, but only three onscreen and in-battle. If one of your three active combatants falls, the backup will automatically jump in. You can also swap anyone out for the backup at any time.

* Early Creator/TomClancy games averted this - if your team leader in ''VideoGame/RainbowSix'' takes a bullet and dies after rounding a corner, rather than declaring the situation hopeless and making you restart, the next guy behind him simply takes over.

** Also averted in ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar Genealogy of the Holy War]]''. You can bring all available units into every battle, though this is mainly because you control two different generations of smaller-than-average groups. Also, you'll want a few units defending castles instead of fighting on the front lines.
** Averted much more reasonably for the Endgame of ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn Radiant Dawn]]''; your selected team storms the enemy stronghold while the rest of your army stays behind to protect you from the risk of a pincer attack... specifically because the enemies [[spoiler: are all enemies you've killed previously and were raised from the dead solely to get in your way, and will continue to return indefinitely until you take down Ashera.]]

** ''VideoGame/ShiningForceII'' only allows you to have twelve members, and they can only be switched out when using the Caravan. Justified by [[spoiler: Rhode]] when he explains that the Caravan can only carry miniaturized people and items, and thus, are unable to take over for "exhausted" party members.

** Played with in ''VideoGame/ShiningForceIII'' where is is played straight for most of the game but then in the last battle your remaining force is preforming their own battle at the same time.
* Any TBS where you can choose not to deploy some of your units at the beginning, as there typically is no way to call them in later. If losing the battle does not result in a GameOver, those backup units are lost as well.

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' is guilty of this at times. In any given fight, there will typically be 2-3 characters standing around watching as one person, by himself, goes up against the BigBad.
** Though this is generally because the guys not fighting don't have a prayer of going up against the BigBad and are essentially risking their lives just to be moral support. And when the guys doing the fighting can casually destroy planets, you'd want to stay clear of either of them inadvertently hitting you when aiming for somebody else. Jumping in is a very bad idea.
** Parodied (of course) in ''WebVideo/DragonBallZAbridged''. Piccolo is perfectly willing to watch Tenshinhan get beaten savagely by Nappa and shrugs it off to Gohan as a matter of honor not to interfere... while Tenshinhan begs and pleads for his friends to help him.
** Averted in the final battle-of-the-beams between Gohan and Cell; where all the other Z-Fighters (who had done nothing but get beaten badly by the Cell Jrs., specifically intending to piss of Gohan into releasing his full hidden power, NiceJobFixingItVillain) jump in to try to distract Cell and allow Gohan's Father-Son Kamehameha to finish him off. It doesn't really work, but hey, they gave it a try. And let us not forget Yajiobi's (the most useless sidelined backup in all of Z) few moments of bravery during Goku's battle with Vegeta.
*** It doesn't work because Cell is powerful enough at this point to completely NoSell an attack from a human or Namekian. When [[TheLancer Vegeta]] tries it, it distracts him enough to give Gohan the chance to overwhelm him. It's actually implied that without him stepping in, Gohan wouldn't have won.
* ''{{Manga/Gantz}}'' does this to an annoying degree, as characters will stand around and watch their friends fight and die without lifting a finger to help.
* This happens quite often in ''Manga/InuYasha'' as well.
* Averted in ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' surprisingly often, especially after Soul Society. Starting with Hueco Mundo, there'll be lots of times when one of the protagonists jumps in while another's fighting someone. For example, [[spoiler:Yoruichi and Urahara double-teaming Aizen]].
** Though this is more likely to be played straight the ''stronger'' you are. And in some arcs, the combatants won't fight until they can be paired up with an enemy, so that ''no one'' has backup. ...Or strategy...
** [[spoiler:Kaien Shiba]] literally died because of this trope, when there was a captain who could've easily defeated his opponent right there.
** In the Fake Town arc, the most powerful of the Soul Reapers barely acts until someone capable of opposing him shows up, even though that 'barely acting' involves one-shotting a foe who almost kills several of his subordinates. Another one of the stronger Captains doesn't get involved... at all.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films — Live-Action]]
* In ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanAtWorldsEnd'', the final battle, the ''Black Pearl'' faces down the ''FlyingDutchman'', and then Beckett's ''Endeavour'', without any help from the pirate armada assembled behind them. {{Justified|Trope}} because the maelstrom prevents other ships from intervening. And once again, when the [[spoiler:''Dutchman'' does its HeelFaceTurn, Beckett's much-larger armada may be scarpering because the situation has just gotten too weird to cope with, or perhaps they just don't care for the man enough to continue fighting after his death.]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* In ''[[Literature/CiaphasCain Death Or Glory]]'', when Cain fights [[spoiler: the Ork Warboss]], the other orks don't intervene because the former had essentially challenged him to a duel (or rather, attacking Cain would imply their leader couldn't take him on and be a challenge to his authority) while Jurgen doesn't fire because if the orks did attack they were both screwed (a rare recorded instance of Jurgen telling Cain he can't do something).
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* Parodied [[http://www.adventurers-comic.com/d/0130.html here]] in ''Webcomic/{{Adventurers}}''.
** The final boss fight has a mechanic to avoid this by bringing in reserve party members as others fall.
[[/folder]]

# You can only switch characters in certain locations, such as towns or the world map. This makes sense if the location in question is a PlayerHeadquarter, like a GlobalAirship.

# You can only switch characters in certain locations, such as towns or the world map.

[[folder: Action Adventure ]]

[[folder: Role Playing Game ]]

** Averted by ''VideoGame/{{Tales of Hearts}}'''s Link Attack system, which lets you call in non-fighting party members to perform attacks or spells. Linked attacks can be guarded but not interrupted, making it often useful to leave one of the healers in the back row.

** Finally defied in ''VideoGame/TalesOfBerseria'', where reserves can be tagged in by using one point of the Blast Guage. KO'ed party members will be subbed out automatically if possible, and if their AI is allowed to conscious allies in critical condition will also swap out voluntarily to start regenerating HP on the back line.

* ''VideoGame/LostOdyssey'' has this. In this case it's probably for the best since some of the characters are [[{{Immortality}} immortal]] and will always automatically revive after a while, so it would be ''impossible to lose the game'' otherwise.

* ''VideoGame/StarOcean'' allows you to have eight characters in your party, but only an active party of four. However, the inactive characters aren't on an airship or in another city or anything - they are very obviously travelling with everyone else, and you can switch them in and out of the active party at any time outside of combat. And yet they do nothing when your active party get creamed by a powerful enemy, and the game ends with the defeat of the active party even though you literally have a ''replacement party'' waiting.
** Averted in ''VideoGame/StarOceanTheLastHope'', as you only get a game over when the entire team is wiped out. However, you're only allowed to switch characters in combat one at a time and with a time delay between switches. Because of this, getting your active party KO'd generally means anyone you switch in will die alone before you can switch in another.

* ''VideoGame/SeventhDragon'' triggers a GameOver if the current party is wiped, even if you have reserve members back at the guild hall. Gets pretty dumb in ''7th Dragon III: Code VFD'', where even after you gain access to a rear-line team of up to three that can provide battle support and later a ''second'' rear team, both of which can follow you at once (in other words, you have twice as many members following you as you have fighting as part of the front team), it's still mission failure if the front line kicks the bucket, even if you die to early enemies and your rear teams are composed of level 99 members who should be able to [[CurbStompBattle curb-stomp]] whatever killed the front line and then revive those fallen comrades.

[[folder: Shooter ]]

[[folder: Survival Horror ]]
* In ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilTheUmbrellaChronicles'', if you have no player two, your so-called "partner" won't lift a finger to stop you from being eaten alive or beaten to death. You can't switch to them either, even though they're supposedly right there and actively conversing with the one you're playing the whole way.

[[folder: Comic Books ]]

[[folder: Films — Live-Action ]]

[[folder: Literature ]]

[[folder: Web Comics ]]

In {{RPG}}s with an ArbitraryHeadcountLimit, your traveling party may sometimes be too large for the game. However, when you fight with your arbitrarily reduced team size, and then you lose, you still get a game over even though the rest of the characters are still up. Sometimes the characters you ''do'' put in your party are LazyBackup as well; [[WeCannotGoOnWithoutYou in this case]], you lose if the PlayerCharacter is killed, even when the rest of the party is still alive ''[[OnlyMostlyDead and possesses means of resurrection]]''.

** Though Chapter 17 of ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance Path of Radiance]]'' does more or less avert this trope as you can call in reinforcements of your own (though, since they can do this, it would be pretty cool if they did as more than once as a one level gimmick), but at the same time making the other cases even more [[{{egregious}} egregious]] since it makes it clear that they aren't doing anything else while you're off fighting.

%% ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them.

* In ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG'', you eventually get a total of five party members, though you can only take three at a time with you. Should your main three die off, the remaining two won't count. There's also the DuelBoss occasions with Jonathon Jones and Dodo. The latter is a bit more understandable, but the former is just {{egregious}} because ''the rest of your party is literally standing at the sides watching you fight.'' Keep in mind this is one of the RPG's where it normally doesn't matter if Mario dies, either.

* Mostly played straight in ''VideoGame/{{Persona 4}}'', though you'll occasionally encounter them standing around in the dungeon, implying that they can't back you up because they're busy [[LetsSplitUpGang exploring on their own]]. The ''Golden'' rerelease also adds Cavalry Attacks, allowing party members to charge in on their scooter/bike/skates and use their follow-up attacks even if they aren't in the party.
* Played horribly straight in ''{{VideoGame/Persona 3}}''; you are only allowed to have four members in your party, and unlike the exploration implications in ''{{VideoGame/Persona 4}}'', whoever you leave behind stays at the base of Tartarus. While [[MissionControl Fuuka]] is communicating from the ground floor and may need protection, only one instance has happened where Shadows have attacked at Tartarus' entrance, and it's for a story-driven boss fight. Also notable is that Fuuka's own Persona surrounds her in an [[BarrierMaiden indestructible barrier]], whereas Rise, who came after her, is mostly exposed with her own, so, so the idea of staying behind to keep Fuuka safe loses a lot of credibility.

* In ''VideoGame/SaGaFrontier'', you can have a party of up to fifteen, but you can only ever have one five-person team battling at once. If everyone in that team dies during the battle, it's game over. Therefore, unless you like to have all your characters evenly ranked, you'll probably only level and use one team, and gather other characters only to experience their stories, see their cutscenes, and use their items in the communal inventory.

--> '''Garrus:''' And that's the moment when the universe ran out of ammunition.
* ''StarOcean'' allows you to have eight characters in your party, but only an active party of four. However, the inactive characters aren't on an airship or in another city or anything - they are very obviously travelling with everyone else, and you can switch them in and out of the active party at any time outside of combat. And yet they do nothing when your active party get creamed by a powerful enemy, and the game ends with the defeat of the active party even though you literally have a ''replacement party'' waiting.
** Averted in ''Videogame/StarOceanTheLastHope'', as you only get a game over when the entire team is wiped out. However, you're only allowed to switch characters in combat one at a time and with a time delay between switches. Because of this, getting your active party KO'd generally means anyone you switch in will die alone before you can switch in another.

** Averted in the extra dungeon in the DS version where the main party is trapped and the reserve party comes to free the main party

** Though Chapter 17 of ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemTellius Path of Radiance]]'' does more or less avert this trope as you can call in reinforcements of your own (though, since they can do this, it would be pretty cool if they did as more than once as a one level gimmick), but at the same time making the other cases even more [[{{egregious}} egregious]] since it makes it clear that they aren't doing anything else while you're off fighting.
** Also averted in ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemJugdral Genealogy of Holy War]]''. You can bring all available units into every battle, though this is mainly because you control two different generations of smaller-than-average groups. Also, you'll want a few units defending castles instead of fighting on the front lines.
** Averted much more reasonably for the Endgame of Radiant Dawn; your selected team storms the enemy stronghold while the rest of your army stays behind to protect you from the risk of a pincer attack... specifically because the enemies [[spoiler: are all enemies you've killed previously and were raised from the dead solely to get in your way, and will continue to return indefinitely until you take down Asherah.]]

** Those backup characters aren't just for show - you can tag them in at any point in the battle, just like ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX FFX''. You still get a big fat Game Over if your frontline threesome bite the dust, though.

* The ''VideoGame/WildArms1'' remake Alter Code F has similar problem with aforementioned ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX''. You have 6 characters; the three originals and three "secret" characters. Only 3 can fight at once, however. These characters always go everywhere together, as evidenced by the fact that you can switch characters in battle. If one character drops in combat, you can swap them for one of the others. However, if all 3 of the current characters drop, it's game over.

** Those backup characters aren't just for show - you can tag them in at any point in the battle, just like ''[[VideoVideoGame/Game/FinalFantasyX FFX]]''. You still get a big fat Game Over if your frontline threesome bite the dust, though.

* The ''VideoGame/WildArms1'' remake Alter Code F may have the laziest backup ever. You have 6 characters; the three originals and three "secret" characters. Only 3 can fight at once, however. These characters always go everywhere together, as evidenced by the fact that you can switch characters ''in battle''. If one character drops in combat, you can swap them for one of the others. However, if all 3 of the current characters drop, ''you lose''. Even if you had all 3 secondaries waiting right there. Apparently, the shock of the current characters' deaths causes them to abandon their friends and give up the quest.

** Those backup characters aren't just for show - you can tag them in at any point in the battle, just like ''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyX FFX]]''. You still get a big fat Game Over if your frontline threesome bite the dust, though.

* Averted in ''ScienceGirls'' - only your front row of girls can take actions during combat, but you can swap characters in and out of the front row at any time, and if a front-row girl is knocked out, a back-row girl will automatically step up to take her place. Only if the whole party goes down will you get a game over.

* In ''VideoGame/GoldenSun: The Lost Age'', Kraden definitely wouldn't be able to handle combat, but couldn't he at least pull out your healing items to help out when you lose?

[[folder: Real Time Strategy ]]

* In StarWarsEmpireAtWar, during the Empire campaign, you are given several Interdictor Star Destroyers, which can generate a gravity well, preventing the enemy's escape into hyperspace. This ability is used during one important and required space battle. However, while the Interdictors are generating their gravity well, they cannot attack enemy ships and cannot stand up to much fire. You can build more Interdictors if you want; however, if the Interdictors given to you for free by the Empire are destroyed, you automatically lose the battle, even if you have other surviving Interdictors. The Empire only gives you two free Interdictors until both are destroyed - two more are given to replace the destroyed ships.

[[folder: Turn Based Strategy ]]

* Averted in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'': You can only fight with three party members at a time, but you can swap out a front-liner for a reserve PC at any time, AND if all three front-liners get KO'd, the game forces you to switch in at least one of the reserve [=PCs=]. You can even target your reserve party-members with buffs and heals, so you can have your secondary party revive your primary after a total-party-KO. In fact, the only way to die is to have all six members of your party KO'd. There is a boss that has instant death attacks -- the only way to win against him is to constantly raise the characters who are not in the front line.

* ''VideoGame/SeventhDragon'' triggers a GameOver if the current party is wiped, even if you have reserve members back at the guild hall. Gets pretty dumb in ''7th Dragon III: Code VFD'', where even after you gain access to a rear-line team of up to three that can provide battle support and later a ''second'' rear team, both of which can follow you at once (in other words, you have twice as many members following you as you have fighting as part of the front team), it's still mission failure if the front line kicks the bucket.

* ''VideoGame/SeventhDragon'' triggers a GameOver if the current party is wiped, even if you have reserve members back at the guild hall. Gets pretty dumb in ''7th Dragon III: Code VFD'', where even after you gain access to a rear-line team of up to three that can provide battle support and later a second rear team, both of which can follow you at once, it's still mission failure if the front line kicks the bucket.

* ''VideoGame/SeventhDragon'' triggers a GameOver if the current party is wiped, even if you have reserve members back at the guild hall. Gets pretty dumb in ''III'', where even after you gain access to a rear-line team of up to three that can provide battle support and later a second rear team, both of which can follow you at once, it's still mission failure if the front line kicks the bucket.