Guns of Alkenstar [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

Guns of Alkenstar (available here) is definitely a break from the norm of the Pathfinder Tales line of free web fiction.  First, it's one of the very few (if not only) pieces of fiction set in the nation of Alkenstar, where firearms reign supreme over magic and swords.  Second, it's a six-part tale instead of the usual four-parter.  And third, it's written by Ed Greenwood, creator of the Forgotten Realms!  The story concerns agents of the Alkenstar government involved in political intrigue and assassination plots.  It's full of action, though I found the individual parts rather repetitive.  Greenwood definitely makes use of, and adds, to the world lore of Alkenstar.  On the whole though, I found it rather flawed despite the interesting setting.  I think it could be fine for readers particularly interested in Alkenstar, but otherwise could be safely skipped.

SPOILERS

Gelgur, a grizzled veteran of the Shieldmarshals (government agents), is coaxed out of retirement by a senior member named Kordroun to assist in finding out who's been smuggling guns to the nearby country of Geb.  Kordroun also enlists the help of a "gunhunter" named Ralice (I'm not 100% sure what a "gunhunter" is, but I particularly liked that she was given a more realistic body type than is often seen in fantasy fiction).  Assassination attempts abound, and it feels like almost every chapter ends on the same sort of cliffhanger.  Chase, assassination attempt, chase.  There's some high-level political machinations going on that the protagonists uncover, but I found the plot rather confusing: there's too many characters for a short story and I couldn't keep track of them all.  The use of doppelgangers felt rather cliched.  And finally, I found the ending rather abrupt and unsatisfactory.  I'll chalk this one up to a noble failure on Paizo's part.