When comparing 13th Age vs Gumshoe, the Slant community recommends 13th Age for most people. In the question“What are the best tabletop RPGs?” 13th Age is ranked 27th while Gumshoe is ranked 31st. The most important reason people chose 13th Age is:
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.
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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 Great for investigative scenarios
The system is built to avoid issues of running an investigative scenario with a common RPG systems where the probability of finding a clue will often be left to a dice roll. Instead, Gumshoe is not about finding clues, but about interpreting them.
Cons
Con Too similar to 4th
Con The Icons and the PC relationships to them can confuse
Can be confusing, especially for new players.