I am also using
the default template.latex file.
My source file is a very generic example of
a typical markdown file.
But yes, my mileage does seem to vary, because I get an error whenever I try to use the document class.
This is the command that gives me an error:
pandoc --standalone --smart --atx-headers --variable documentclass=sffms --from=markdown+yaml_metadata_block sample.md -o manuscript.pdf
This is what the error says:
! File ended while scanning use of \UL@on.
<inserted text>
\par
<*> ...r_6595rnn9lm0000gp/T/tex2pdf.1962/input.tex
! ==> Fatal error occurred, no output PDF file produced!
Is anyone else able to reproduce these results or point to a possible cause?
Meanwhile, I'm working toward a workable two-step approach as suggested above.