I don't agree with making the player more limited in armies. Otherwise, how did I defeat a war party of 90 men, with me and 30 others?
And I can't see how the main character doesn't change the tide of battle: I, with my level 20-ish character who is specialized in melee, headshot enemies from far away (I invested skill also in bow, but as secondary), killing them in 1 shot if they are weak enough (No, there were no peasants in the War party and I vividly recall playing sniper with at least 5 enemies). If that isn't influencing the battle, then I don't know what it
