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This is SprueSentry strategy commentary, not official rules. The detachment rule, stratagems and enhancements below were checked against the official Space Marines Faction Pack v1.2, legal for matched play from the 26 August 2026 balance update, and any points against Munitorum Field Manual v1.3. Points move with balance updates, so confirm the current values in the Warhammer 40,000 app before a game.
Battleline units can shoot, declare charges and start Actions in a turn they Advanced or Fell Back. After a Battleline unit attacks, one enemy unit it hit becomes auspex scanned until the end of the turn, and your whole army re-rolls Hit rolls of 1 against it.
1 CP. Re-roll Hit rolls of 1, and Wound rolls of 1 as well if the target is auspex scanned.
1 CP. Choose Lethal Hits or Sustained Hits 1; the unit's weapons gain it against auspex scanned targets, or unconditionally if the unit is Battleline.
1 CP. After a Battleline unit attacks, a non-Monster, non-Vehicle unit it scanned is pinned, subtracting 2 from its Move and Charge rolls until your next turn.
1 CP. After a Battleline unit attacks, the unit it scanned is suppressed, subtracting 1 from its Hit rolls until your next turn.
How to play Bastion Task Force in 11th edition — the 2-DP Intercessor detachment, its auspex scanned target-marking, Battleline mobility, and how to win with ordinary power armour.
Sprue Sentry strategy commentary for 11th edition, not official rules. Games Workshop updates points and rules regularly; always confirm against the current official rules and latest update before a game.
Bastion Task Force is the Space Marines regular guys in power armour detachment: a 2-Detachment-Point package that takes Battleline squads, the ones most detachments treat as filler, and makes them the engine of the army. It reflects (launched June 2026).
1 CP. A targeted Battleline unit subtracts 1 from Wound rolls when the attack's Strength exceeds its Toughness.
1 CP. A non-Battleline unit can shoot and charge after Advancing or Falling Back, provided it only targets auspex scanned units.
10 points. Ranged weapons on the bearer and the Battleline models in its unit gain Precision.
15 points. Improve the melee Armour Penetration of the bearer and the Battleline models in its unit by 1.
20 points. The bearer gains the Battleline keyword while leading a unit.
15 points. When the bearer's unit is targeted by a Stratagem, roll a D6 with +1 if Battleline; on a 4+ you gain 1 CP.
The archetypal spotter: durable Battleline that applies the auspex mark before your hitters fire.
Battleline melee that loves Blades of Valour and the Advance-and-charge half of the rule.
See the box: price and offersTougher Battleline bodies for holding an objective while still scanning targets.
See the box: price and offersBattleline with Torrent flamers, so it hits reliably to apply the mark.
Keeps the Battleline-only benefits switched on while leading.
Hellblasters, a Gladiator or Terminators cash in the auspex mark, brought online by Heresy Undone.
Adds a fast jump-pack element to an infantry-led core.
At 2 DP it leaves 1 DP for rotating psychic buffs.
This is SprueSentry strategy commentary, not official rules. Rules below were checked against the official Space Marines Faction Pack v1.2, legal for matched play from the 26 August 2026 balance update, and points against the Munitorum Field Manual v1.3. Points move with balance updates, so confirm the current values in the Warhammer 40,000 app before a game.
Interlocking Tactics is two rules bolted together, and the second one is the interesting half.
Mobility: your Battleline units can shoot, declare charges, and start Actions in a turn they Advanced or Fell Back. That is most of what Gladius spends its once-per-battle doctrines on, handed to your troops permanently.
Target-marking: after a Battleline unit attacks, one enemy unit it hit becomes auspex scanned until the end of the turn, and the whole army re-rolls Hit rolls of 1 against that unit. So your cheap squads are not just scoring bodies; they are the spotters that set up the rest of your list. The order of operations matters a lot: shoot with an Intercessor squad first to apply the mark, then fire your real damage into it.
Four of the six either apply a debuff through the auspex mark or cash it in:
Take Bastion when your collection is mostly Intercessors and other troops and you want them to be the plan rather than the tax. It is the friendliest detachment for a Combat Patrol or starter-box collection, because the units you already own the most of are the ones it rewards, and it does not demand transports, vehicles or a Phobos wing.
It also plays a distinctly different game to the other 2-DP options. Anvil rewards standing still, Firestorm rewards closing to 12", Ironstorm rewards hulls; Bastion rewards sequencing — mark first, then punch. If you enjoy that kind of ordering puzzle, it is very satisfying. If you would rather one big unit did everything, look elsewhere.
At 2 DP it leaves 1 DP spare at 2,000 points for a support detachment.
Sample gameplan: deploy three or four Battleline squads across the midfield with one or two heavier units behind them. Each turn, shoot with an Intercessor squad first to plant the auspex mark on the enemy's most dangerous unit, then follow up with Codex Discipline or Light of Vengeance on your real damage. Spend Guided Disruption to pin a charge out of range, or Shock Bombardment to blunt the return fire, and hold Angels Defiant for the turn a heavy gun turns on your troops.
2 DP. At a 2,000-point (3 DP) game that leaves 1 DP for a support detachment such as Librarius Conclave, Subversion Assets or Fulguris Task Force.
Interlocking Tactics. Your Battleline units can shoot, charge and start Actions in a turn they Advanced or Fell Back, and after a Battleline unit attacks it marks one enemy unit it hit as auspex scanned, letting your whole army re-roll Hit rolls of 1 against that unit until the end of the turn.
It is the detachment's target-marking state. A Battleline unit applies it to an enemy unit it hit; while it lasts, your army re-rolls Hit rolls of 1 against that unit, and several Bastion stratagems get stronger effects against it. Shoot with a Battleline unit first, then fire your heavy hitters into the marked target.
It is one of the best fits. It rewards ordinary Battleline squads, which are what most starter and Combat Patrol collections have most of, and it needs no transports, Phobos units or vehicle spam to function.
Written by Sprue Sentry, grounded in the cited sources. Original commentary, not Games Workshop rules text.