[UA] A campaign kick-off for the Lunch Buddies?

[Wade Lahoda]

  I am starting yet another UA campaign(the first one started
excellently, and then players moved to other provinces!).  This time,
we're going with street level again, with your typical assortment of
losers.  Players latched onto the idea of having them all be linked by
them working in the same building(a small-moderate sized office
building in Chicago)...and this developed into their link as to how
they'd get involved in the Occult Underground - they're all weirdos
and conspiracy freaks and the like.  How they all came in contact with
each other was they all generally go for lunch in the cafeteria around
the same time, and gradually hooked up and started talking.  Now they
meet each day to kill time at lunch, pulling out the Weekly World
News, Fortean Times, or whatever and discuss the mysteries of the
world.

  Characters are, incidentally - the security guard for the building,
a lunch lady who works at the caffeteria, a female private detective,
and the mousy office clerk who is brimming over with conspiricy
theories.

  Two of the players were in a one-shot I ran of Jailbreak(awesomest
scenario EVAR! ;) ), and one of those players was also in my first
attempt at a campaign, and thus has played through Bill in Three
Parts.  Otherwise, they are all completely new to Unknown Armies.

  As always, my biggest problem is coming up with a good way to kick
off the campaign.  A way to both throw them in feet first and intrigue
them enough to pursue things instead of ducking for cover.  Give 'em a
dose of weirdness, but not push them into utter unreality right away.
I'm thinking of doing the whole "the Comte, without your knowledge,
has picked you to solve some little problem and thus has thrown it on
your laps" type of thing as was done with Bill in Three Parts.  Also
maybe eventually planning on going through the Green Glass Grail from
Weep.  Still, right now, thoughts for the overall campaign are pretty
blurry - for me, UA is one of those games that goes moment to moment,
with half of the fun just being the experience of the Occult
Underground, I don't get in an "epic campaign arc" planning mode for
it like I do for D&D. =)

  So, any ideas for campaign kick-starts?

  Now, I had a scene in mind...  Them all at the front of the building
come evening, chatting a bit in the "See you tomorrow, Bob" kind of
way as they're preparing to head home, and the security guard is
getting ready to lock the building up.  I have an image of some old
guy, whom they recognize as working in the building somewhere because
they always see him around in the building, and often comes in to work
after hours.  I am imagining this office building as one of the ones
that has a glass front on the first floor.  I am imagining a car
crashing through that glass front in a clear attempt to run down the
old man, and some crazed unshaven fellow with a gun he probably
doesn't know how to use clambering out of the wreck ranting, and
possibly attempting to shoot people who get in his way as he goes
after the old guy.

  See, it's a cool visual for me, and definitely starts the first
scene with a bang...but...  Who is the old man?  Who is the unshaven
gunman?  And what clues are going to shake out of the incident that
will lead the PCs to investigate things after the smoke clears, etc?

  I've been thinking the old guy is either a Cliomancer on his way to
collect a charge at the building(what famous events could have
happened in an office building in Chicago, hrm??), or maybe he's the
Comte.  As for clues that link the PCs in...maybe the old guy asks
them for help...maybe he gives them some item for safe keeping, asks
them to do something...or maybe he gives them a gift if they save his
ass...but, of course, any gifts would really just be a way to
manipulate things.  Maybe he says something that might get the PCs
curious.  And who is the unshaven gunman? I'm thinking some kind of
standard issue crazy-ass Adept who wants something from the old man...

  Any way...and help brainstorming most welcome. =)  You guys have
been excellent at this in the past. ;)

-- 
"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are
always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts."
- Bertrand Russell