Had a mission to clear out an Abduction site in South Africa. Seemed easy enough, and it was on the Paper Factory map which I've beaten...I don't know, more times than I can remember.
Obviously, it didn't go to well this time.
Started out ok. A group of floaters burst out of the building at first, and were quickly taken down. We then flushed two thin men from inside the office area and quickly took them out as well, although my Squaddie Sniper took a shot in the process. She was fine, but down to 2 health left, so I had to be careful with her.
We then start trying to find out where the rest of the aliens are. I hear noises from back in the parking lot as well as deeper in the building, but on different turns. Hard to say if it's a teleporting group or multiple groups.
Not wanting to get caught up in the building with potential enemies outside I start moving my people back towards the parking lot and find a group of 3 sectoids. Not too bad. I move up my scout (A squaddie support) to keep an eye on them while everyone else starts moving into position. Including my squad sight sniper who moves back down the side to try and get flanking shots on them.
Then it all goes to hell.
A group of three Thin Men pop out of the building behind me, leaving my soldiers in a horrible situation. Aliens on two fronts, and very few places with decent cover in between. Right after that revelation, my scout gets gunned down by combined fire form all of the sectoids. This causes my Assault to panic and Hunker down...in a spot with very little cover that could be easily flanked by either group of enemies.
So now I'm down 1 soldier, another is useless and probably going to die on the next alien turn, I have a squaddie sniper who's already injured and while she has cover from both angles is dead in the middle of the parking lot with enemies on both sides, my Sergeant Sniper is completely out of position to help with the Thin Men and can't see the Sectoids with the scout dead, and my remaining soldier (A Corporal Support) is going to get flanked if she doesn't move from where she is.
So I try to fall back to something resembling a defensive position, moving everyone back towards the evac point and a few vehicles and abduction pods back there that could be helpful.
The Assualt, not surprisingly, is quickly taken out by the sectoids who flank her, and the Thin men take out my injured sniper.
I take one turn to try and fight back. hoping that heavy cover and some lucky shots will let me turn the tide of battle. So, of course, both soldiers miss.
The Secotoids hang back where they were, but the Thin Men move and and get shots off on both my remaining soldiers.
With both down to just a scrap of health yet, I decide it's time to cut my losses and get out. Both soldiers book for the evac zone and we leave.
Bad, bad mission. Lost my only Assault, a support with good stats, and a decent sniper-in-training. My best Medic and Sniper are both injured and can't go on the Terror mission that just popped up. Oh, and South Africa goes Red, India goes Red, and I missed out on the badly needed 255 space bucks the mission would have netted me.
Yup...off to a great start.