Realistically speaking, how many members do you think the brotherhood of steel have? I'd say between 100-500 members. 500 stretching it.
Also, do you think the brotherhood could dominate the commonwealth if they wanted to?
Technically speaking the commonwealth as a whole is pretty anti BOS. Goodneighbor triggermen, All the raiders trying to kill them, plus not to mention the deathclaws and other wasteland critters, Guerrilla Railroad Heavies, Institute synths, and roaming robot armies build by the mechanist (in the soon to be released dlc)
my minutemen theoretically, could be a standing force of 660 armed men and women, with high powered weapons, combat armor,and polymer weave outfits to withstand high amounts of damage, with fortified settlements that have artillery, missile turrets, heavy laser turrets. We even have recruiters in Diamond City, so who knows how many members of the minutemen we have just out in the wasteland not even associated with the settlement. We also have the support of the people. The Prydwen has been blown up, so who knows how how many are still out there without any formal base.
Anyone else care to weigh in? I like Danse even if he is a BOS loyalist to the point that he was gonna kill himself, but overall the brotherhood are just a bunch of tech hogging, xenophobic, dikes.