I'm planning another session as a DM for a group of kids... its been over a year since they played and, this time, I'm considering trying to make this a more recurring event, provided they like their second experience.

The first time we played, they used simplified pre-gen characters... but to really suck them in, I figure they need their own creations.... it'll also help them grasp the value of treasure.

I mean, who cares about the vampire sword at the end of the game if you're not going to be playing the characters again? (Of, in this case, if you weren't aware that we could continue playing some other time).

Character creation is cool, but time consuming. I fear my group of 10-year-old would grow tired of looking at catalogs of powers, feats, skills and stats and would much prefer jumping in their game.

What I plan to do, is have a quick player creation session - we pick races, classes and base stats. Players only get access to the basic "at-wills". A little jam session to help them come up with back-stories, with a few prepared stories for the more introverted kids.

Then we jump in the story... in which they will grow into their powers - learning more and more about strategies, unlocking extra powers and choosing skills.

By the end of the second session, they might end up with full level-1 characters and a good grasp of the basic rules.

That's the basic plans... I'm still brainstorming by myself at this point, but I feel this idea has great potential for learning and making a few enticing "player origins" sessions.