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Quick tactical question here: how many 25pdrs should be backing up an armoured company if you're only looking to provide smoke or to pin platoons? (Not that the 25pdr is very good at doing anything other than that, but I digress.)

Obviously 4 seems to be the sweet spot; relatively cheap, 4 guns, 2 smoke templates, no downsides for having too few guns etc.

But would it be possible to get away with only using 2? With armour as pricey as it is when you're taking Vets, it's not always worth sacrificing a few tanks so you can get more guns. With Brits, Shermans and Cromwells can both fire smoke, albeit not if they want to damage stuff and not on the same scale as 25pdrs, and I've found myself struggling to fit any artillery in a list if I want M10s (and vice versa). The M10s make up for the relatively low amount of AT I have (3 gun-tankable models spread 1 to a platoon) but at the cost of more smoke, or I can have more smoke at the cost of only having 3 weapons capable to scratching anything heavier than a StuG.

This also begs the question: with 3 platoons capable of firing smoke, do I need artillery at all? Sure, I'd be smoking a larger area and freeing up one or two of the armoured platoons, but would I really need that larger area? Or, if I have a lot of smoke, do I really need M10s? If I prevent the enemy from being able to fire on my precious Fireflies/Challengers, will I still need to supplement them? Having 4 AT14/15 (depending on Overlord/MG respectively) ready to leap out from ambush or to give Panthers/Tigers enough pause to throw the enemy off sounds too good to pass up, but I'm Veteran anyway, and smoke would force any tanks I'd need 17pdrs to take out to move if they want to fire or to sit tight in order not to expose themselves at the cost of not firing a shot. Even 3 Panthers would only get 1 shot each, needing 5s to hit at long range, 6s if I'm concealed. If the Panthers don't move, then they're just expensive paperweights, and I can ignore them.

Really, it comes down to whether 2 25pdrs can produce enough smoke to be viable (losing just one gun renders them useless) at the same time as allowing me to supplement my 17pdrs; whether I should drop the 25pdrs altogether and rely on tank-fired smoke; or whether I should drop the supplementary 17pdrs, grab 4 25pdrs, and see what I can do with the rest of the points. The 17pdrs are useless against infantry lists, but the 25pdrs are relatively useful against every list, so I'm leaning towards relying on my Fireflies/Challengers + smoke.

What's your list may help!

From using Brit/Canadian armour (assuming you are vet) you need 3-4 AT15 weapons ideally. So when I was doing welsh guards I tried to have 3 challengers, with my Canadian armoured recce I would go for a total of 4 fireflies.

I often therefore find M10's aren't needed. Static 17pdrs do not synergies well with armour IMHO.

I think you want 4 25pdrs for smoke, but are normal or heavy mortars an option instead for the pin?

Desert Rats Armoured Squadron and Market Garden Guards Armoured Recce. The Desert Rats have the misfortune of being an Overlord force, so only get AT14 on their 17pdrs, but they have the advantage of being a hell of a lot cheaper than Guards.

My thoughts on guards armoured recce

http://www.breakthroughassault.co.uk/2013/08/the-artse-of-building-guards-armoured.html

Don't bother with artillery - you don't have the points in most games IMHO. For the rats, maybe squeeze some corps 25pdrs