Warmachine: Bastion Seneschal
The Protectorate got a Jack Marshal. Why is that special? You’ll see…
Jack Marshalls were introduced in Escalation, the first expansion for Warmachine back in 2004. Mercs, Cygnar, and Khador got their marshals right off the bat, but it was a long wait for some of the other factions. When Cryx got the Iron Liche overseer in Wrath, the Protectorate became the only faction without the ability to Marshal. Then, earlier this year, along comes the Bastion Seneschal.
So was this just an oversight on the game designer’s part? Did they just neglect to create a Protectorate Marshal until now because they were too busy making other stuff? I think we can probably rule that out. The point of a Jack Marshal is to free up some focus for your warcaster. So why give the Protectorate one when they’ve already got plenty of good ways to maximize their focus use? The Choir alone gives back huge returns in focus not spent on boosted attack and damage rolls. And they don’t take away the option of additional boosts when you need them. Then there are Wracks, Hierophants, and perhaps most importantly for this article, Reclaimers to give you even more focus when you need it.
And that’s what makes a Protectorate Jack Marshall awesome. With Reclaimers you get the best of both worlds: the free boost/attack/charge/run from the Marshall, along with up to three focus allocated from the Reclaimer’s Communion. And you can even keep a Vassall around to give them yet another free attack. Now you’re looking at a 6 point Crusader dishing out up to six P+S 20 attacks plus a 16. Of course… you’re also looking at a support system that costs more than the Crusader itself. If that’s a concern (and honestly it probably should be) you can always take a Sanctifier instead. With Reach giving it an increased threat range, the Sanctifier is pretty much patently better than a Crusader, despite having slightly lower P+S. More importantly it basically has a Reclaimer built in. You can also try marshalling jacks that just don’t need that much focus to begin with. The Repenter is a great candidate. Even the more expensive Vanquisher often only needs a single boost per turn.
So why bother Marshalling these guys? If they aren’t in a battlegroup the only way to give them focus is with Reclaimers. Sounds kinda risky. Well it is, but the two (or more) focus you’ll save with the free early turn runs on your marshalled jacks will give you the focus you need to cast precious upkeeps. It’s hard to find a faction that loves its upkeeps more than Protectorate, so for certain casters, it can definitely be worth it. You might even find yourself taking a rarely seen Vigilant, who only really wants to run to keep up with the models that want to take advantage of his Girded ability.
But wait… the Bastion Seneschal does other stuff! He also automaticaly heals every Bastion in his control area 1 point each turn. That gives you more reason than ever to spread the damage out with that Sanguine Bond ability. Bastions can already be a nightmare to take down: put Defender’s Ward up on them, give them a little Dirge of Mists from Rhupert Carvolo, and you’ve got a DEF 14 ARM 18 unit that can spread out up to Forty damage between itself. And if you try to charge the Seneschal to get him to knock it off, he’ll make you pay for it with a Defensive Strike from his Consecrated Halberd – with Weapon Master.
Despite all the cool stuff this guy does, it can be hard to find a way to fit him in. Every faction has become so saturated with choices, it’s often hard to figure out how to integrate new releases like this. Well the Harbinger’s an obvious choice. She keeps infantry alive, and likes to hoard focus. A Jack Marshall that heals should be a welcome addition. But Harby’s one of those casters that goes well with everything. Another good place is with Grand Exemplar Kreoss. He loves Exemplars and his feat makes up for one of the Bastion’s biggest shortcomings: their one lone attack. And marshaling some warjacks will free him up some focus for Castigate, Chasten, and upkeeps. So where else can you put this guy?
Thyra, Flame of Sorrow – WJ: +6
– Sanctifier – PC: 9
Exemplar Bastion Seneschal – PC: 3
– Sanctifier – PC: 9
– Repenter – PC: 4
Vassal of Menoth – PC: 2
Madelyn Corbeau, Ordic Courtesan – PC: 2
Exemplar Bastions – Leader and 4 Grunts: 8
Temple Flameguard – Leader and 9 Grunts: 6
– Temple Flameguard Officer & Standard – Temple Flameguard Officer & Standard 2
Daughters of the Flame – Leader & 5 Grunts: 5
Choir of Menoth – Leader & 3 Grunts: 2
Lady Aiyana & Master Holt – Lady Aiyanna & Master Holt: 4
50 pts.
I haven’t played much with Thyra since she first came out. She’s definitely one of those never-enough-focus types. A marshalled Sanctifier should free up most of her focus for Carnage or for killing things herself. She has a Sanctifier of her own for Pursuit and because you gotta spend those jack points on something. And the Bastions form a nice wall for Thyra to approach behind. If you like you can replace Thyra with Grand Exemplar Kreoss, and still have a pretty good list going on. Although ideally you could try to swap in some Errants and maybe even another unit of Bastions.
Vice Scrutator Vindictus – WJ: +6
– Vanquisher – PC: 8
Exemplar Bastion Seneschal – PC: 3
– Repenter – PC: 4
– Repenter – PC: 4
Rhupert Cavolo – PC: 2
Vassal of Menoth – PC: 2
Wrack – PC: 1
Exemplar Bastions – Leader and 4 Grunts: 8
Exemplar Bastions – Leader and 4 Grunts: 8
Holy Zealots – Leader and 9 Grunts: 6
– Monolith Bearer – Monolith Bearer 2
Choir of Menoth – Leader & 5 Grunts: 3
Daughters of the Flame – Leader & 5 Grunts: 5
50 pts.
There are many similarities between Vindictus and Thyra. They’re Focus 6 casters with an expensive spell that’s really useful and that you can’t upkeep. But Vindictus has even better synergy with the Bastions. He’s one of the few Warcasters outside of Grand Exemplar Kreoss I’ll consider taking two units of them with. True Path lets you make sure these normally slow guys get where you need them. And they have enough damage boxes that they can inflict some heavy casualties through Penitence. Then the Seneschal heals them up afterwords. Just don’t forget that if you use Sanguine Bond then Penitence doesn’t trigger.
~ So that’s the Bastion Seneschal. All in all, he’s definitely a guy with some cool abilities. But not so much that he overshadows any of the Protectorate’s existing choices. In other words: he’s nice and balanced. If you have any cool tactics of your own for him or experiences you’d like to share, then by all means post them in the comments section.
