5 out of 5 rating for 13th Age Core Book
13th Age is a RPG by lead designers of D&D 3rd and 4e, but it casts it's roots both back further and much wider. Combining the best of various versions of D&D but eschewing a high level of complexity, the game brings back old-fashioned RPG romps where there's trust between DM and player and things keep moving. (5e, out a year later, has also taken a similar direction.) Plus it brings in a lot of newer RPG and story-game ideas and makes them mechanically relevant.
The default world is done in broad, fantastical strokes, full of hooks and ideas but leaving the details to be fleshed out for your table. They expect each game to be different, and even address that in character creation. The other innovation are the Icons. These are 13 (in the default setting) movers and shakers of the world with a complex web of interactions between them. They give the whole setting a dynamic feel, as these can't just stay with the status quo - things will move.
Creating a character is fairly light-weight mechanically, and has three outstanding nods that are both simple by tie the character tightly into the world and plot: Icon Relationships, Backgrounds and One Unique Thing. Icon Relationships are three dice of relationships with those 13 Icons - positive, negative, or "it's complicated". It doesn't mean you know them personally, but it makes sure that from the start, the players are important in world even before they are powerful - protagonists in their story. It also gives the DM a fantastic tool for seeing where player focus is - lots of negative relationships with the Lich King will likely have him behind much, undead foes, and a different feel then for a campaign with lots of positive relationships with the Dragon Emperor while might end up more intrigue or agents of the king.
Backgrounds are their skill system, but are more free form then many would be used to, limited by your imagination and worked out witht he DM. Sure, you could be a "Sailor +3", but a "First Mate on the Pirate Ship Blackwind +3" provides a lot more hooks into the world. And shows that you might also be able to apply the background to locate stolen cargos, diplomacy with pirates, etc. Rob Heinsoo, one of the creators, gave an example from a Con where the PCs where trying to console a young widow. The character had a background like "Sergeant off the Sea Wall" and he said "Do you know how many letters I had to write for soldiers who didn't make it?" Background granted.
The One Unique thing is exactly what's written on the tin. What makes you different than anyone else. Plus another great hook into the world. Examples could be "The Only Halfling Knight in the Empire" or along the same line "The Emperor's Bastard Son". (And do you have a positive, negative, or complicated relationship with the Emperor and his agents?)
Like many other modern games there's the idea of failing forward. If not finding the hidden compartment with the documents showing the duke is a traitor will derail the arc, then a failed roll searching isn't that it's not found. But perhaps it's that guards came in while you were searching his study.
Game play is fast and light. Combat uses theater of the mind like early D&D versions and 5e. One point to help with combat pacing is the escalation die. PCs start with a bit of mechanical disadvantage, but each turn the Escalation die increase all the way up to 6, giving a bonus to attack. It both stops grinds, and also gives pause to the common "nova immediately", since waiting will give bonuses. The core book gives everything you need to play, from character creation, monsters, setting, icons, magic items, etc.
Publishing bonus: Pelgrane will give you the PDF when you purchase, even if you buy through your FLGS.
All in all, two thumbs up. I'm running a campaign in it right now.