When comparing 13th Age vs Vampire: The Masquerade, the Slant community recommends Vampire: The Masquerade for most people. In the question“What are the best tabletop RPGs?” Vampire: The Masquerade is ranked 6th while 13th Age is ranked 27th. The most important reason people chose Vampire: The Masquerade is:
The emphasis of the game is to create drama and intrigue. The Hunger mechanic is central to the experience, and characters have strong, in depth motivations and drives.
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro The game is built for people who've done it before
The world is half built, letting you get in and leave your mark. Each class plays mechanically different than other d20 versions. Skills are placed by backgrounds. It's a short hand and interesting way of playing DnD.
Pro Long lists of skills are gone completely
And covered by backgrounds (much like FATE or Cortex+) so that players aren't searching through lists of skills and what they can do constantly.
Pro Gonzo without the grid
13th Age has some very gonzo fights with party combos, lots of variable powers for monsters and PC's but as a simple set of rules for combat that speed it up without losing a lot of options.
Pro Alternative experience to most other action-adventure based RPGs
The emphasis of the game is to create drama and intrigue. The Hunger mechanic is central to the experience, and characters have strong, in depth motivations and drives.
Pro Great connection to overall lore
Role-playing oriented system.
Cons
Con Too similar to 4th
Con The Icons and the PC relationships to them can confuse
Can be confusing, especially for new players.
Con It doesn't really do anything new, it just looks pretty
Con Role playing oriented system requires a GM that is well informed of the world and lore
Con Edgelord Magnet
Game is perfect for high school theater geeks
Con Not for kids
Definitely adult orientated material - may not be to everybody’s taste and includes themes that may not be appropriate to children.