Question: Quick and Dirty RPG System

[GreaserFish]

I find myself in need of a system with little need for prep time and very simple rules. I'm going to be GMing a bunch of quick games one on one with people to help establish characters for a later game. Does anyone have any recommendations for a system that doesn't need much effort to pick up and play/learn?
If it helps, the game will be in a post apocalyptic setting with heavy fantasy/sci-fi influences. The party has a fairly wide range of abilities, but they're all starting around the same power level.

[Grod_The_Giant]

Check out the link to STaRS in my signature? (And if you like the brief writeup, let me know and I can send you an advanced copy). Pretty much made for quick play and easy GMing, and it's generic enough to fit most things.

[LibraryOgre]

Well, I always throw out ODE in cases like this...

[Cluedrew]

If you really want a rules light game Roll for Shoes has 7 rules in it. You can fit the entire system on an index card.

You will almost certainly have to add some house rules to clean up whatever edges you want to explore in the system. But that doesn't take that long.

[Doorhandle]

D&D-themed superlight rules? Try Dungeon Squad

star-trek themed superlight rules? Try Lasers and Feelings

Even lighter, silly, any-setting rules? Try RISUS. seeing as you're aiming for post-apocalypse, I feel risus may have you covered best, but it wouldn't surprise me if lasers and feelings couldn't be sufficiently altered, like maybe between agnst (pessimistic, preparedness, brutal violence) and hope (optimistic, adapting to situations, communication).

[Yuki Akuma]

Even lighter, silly, any-setting rules? Try RISUS. seeing as you're aiming for post-apocalypse, I feel risus may have you covered best, but it wouldn't surprise me if lasers and feelings couldn't be sufficiently altered, like maybe between agnst (pessimistic, preparedness, brutal violence) and hope (optimistic, adapting to situations, communication).

I endorse this suggestion. RISUS is life, RISUS is love, RISUS fits on six sheets of A4 and its character sheets fit on business cards.

[Delwugor]

I've used three systems for post-apocalypse gaming.
Risus - played Dawn of the Dead type game
Very quick to pick up, very fast and fun. But the system did not capture the feel of the game nor help in "building" a game character.
Apocalypse World - played post nuclear bounty hunter in Las Vegas.
Covered all aspects of the setting, feel and character development good, but didn't excel at any of them. Quick to learn as a player, not sure about gming.
Fate Core - gm'd Mad Max
Covered all aspects of the game, setting, feel and great character development. I had to implement special rules for vehicle combat and gas usage. Biggest problem, as always with Fate, is for new players to grasp the system.

[kyoryu]

PbtA games (Dungeon World, Apocalypse World, Monster of the Week)
Fate Core/FAE
Early versions of D&D (though the GM will have to learn a bit, the players can make do with a lot less)
BRP (same)