The aliens invade in March, the council activate the XCOM project and your first decision is where to build the XCOM base. And then start fighting with unskilled rookies equiped with simple armour and weapons.

Opening shots

Commission the new base in asia and immediately we have a mission at a railyard in Delhi, India. Four rookies hunt down 6 grey aliens that come to be known as Sectoids. Despite going carefully they collect some painful injuries but they all survived and 3 got promotion and the all important class skills.

Start researching the collected weapon fragments and buy a satellite with the limited funds available. Satellites take 20 days to build and help reduce panic, so the goal is to have constructed satellites available to deploy at the end of the month just before the crucial council report is given.

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5 March

Multiple abduction locations, choose to respond to the one that gives +4 engineers as reward. Again 4 rookies tackle 6 sectoids successfully by taking to the rooftop and 3 gain promotions. One rookie is gravely wounded who will take time to come back to active service. Being unable to respond to the other locations results in north america’s panic increasing to +4. Can’t quite afford a new satellite uplink even by selling some bodies on the grey market so start constructing a new power generator. We always need power.

The research on weapon fragments completes and offers a new SCOPE item. With the monies available to buy 2 to increase the effectiveness of snipers and then start research on alien materials.

Aliens

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10 March

Shot down a small UFO but with heavy damage to the raven interceptor. Send in a 4 rookie team who all survive to earn 3 promotions but 2 are gravely wounded. Maybe they should learn to shoot straight. Recovered artifacts include a UFO power source which should be researched - but right now sell it for the money. Use it to buy another satellite.

17 March

The research on alien materials completes and suggests producing nano-fibre armour. While improved armour for the troops would be welcome, it’s better to save the money and tell the troops not to get shot in the first place. Get research on xeno-biology going.

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20 March - friends in low places

The council request XCOM rescue a Triad member who claims to have some powerful alien technology - ours if we grant safe passage. Take 3 squaddies promoted from earlier missions and one rookie. Keeping down one side, going carefully and using the sniper with the new SCOPE means it’s slow but everyone survives with barely a scratch and is promoted. The mission also sees the appearance of the poison-spitting ‘thin men’, as well as a fast moving insect like creature known as a Chryssalid.

It helps getting firepower onto the spots in advance of where aliens will appear, as they can be shot on overwatch before they can fire. The council reward XCOM with §200 ¹, +2 scientists and +2 engineers. The evacuee joins XCOM as a Lieutenant, heavy class and thus unlocks the Officer Training School so with the reward money start building the OTS as well as a satellite uplink.

The satellite completes production so deploy over north america to reduce the panic back down to 2 and deploy one of the raven interceptors there to protect it.

26 March

The xeno-biology research completes and suggests we build containment and capture an alien alive. What? The troops can barely kill them yet alone get close enough for that. And there’s insufficient funds so park it and instead start the experimental warefare research.

A day later brings a new round of abductions. Fortunately none are in panicking nations so choose the one offering a §200 reward. The team manage fairly easily and gain 2 promotions. Start building a lift down the level 2 and some excavating on level 1, we are going to need space.

29 March

The OTS is built, buy the squad size +1 option. The more guns we can take the better. The end of month council report grades us ‘A’ but Europe is at panic 3. We desperately need to get some uplinks and satellites built. With the council reward we now have §382 in the account, 8 scientists and 12 engineers.

XCOM has made it through the first month.