What are the elements of a good published campaign/module/adventure path?

[Quickleaf]

6) Stuff that is useful even if I don't run the adventure itself

That's a great one. There's a reason the old adventures were called "modules"; the idea was, I believe, that the DM would kit bash them together to make a campaign, cutting and adding stuff as needed.

Given that's a made-up word, perhaps we should give the uninitiated another route to understanding?

Voilà! Jaquaying the Dungeon

Haha, yes it is, thanks.

Tastes differ so I don't think that there can be a comprehensive list of necessary qualities for a good adventure module. If there are stated design goals for the adventure we can attempt to assess how well the adventure achieves those goals.

I totally disagree. Yes tastes differ. However, there are still common things most of us want in an adventure module that are "good."

My personal constant is that sloppiness annoys me. Glaring logical flaws in the adventure, missing maps, unsound assumptions can torpedo an adventure that otherwise has potential in it's individual components.

For example, you describe characteristics we all agree are bad in an adventure. Thus, a good adventure has cohesive logic and minimizes the assumptions it makes. So a good adventure is, broadly speaking, thoughtfully designed.

Also you touch on the usability issue. I think that's an area that needs to be explored, the presentation and graphic design. Nothing kills the mounting tension and energy of a game like the DM having to shuffle thru the module to find info they need, and all the players start chatting in the interim.

There are practical limits as to how non-linear adventures can be before most of the printed content risks being skipped. Most printed adventures are horrifyingly linear, as that's the easiest sort of adventure to write, and work ok for passive players and games that suit reactive play. This allows more time to be devoted to the writing of the adventure, props and handouts, rather than making the adventure less linear. Call of Cthulhu adventures have a high writing standard, but do tend to have very linear plots, especially the older ones.

Of course there is a word/page limit. However, if node-based design is used, then there is a much lower chance of content being skipped, as everything interconnects. Basically, a non-linear adventure needs a really strong framing scenario, and then lots of options about how to handle it. What it does not need is numerous diverse settings to account for every possible area the PCs might explore.

Saying an adventure is non-linear is not the same as saying "it's about whatever the players want." There are bounds to a non-linear adventure outside of which the players have jumped ship and are no longer pursuing the same scenario. That's fine, and I would say that's how it should be. But you cannot blame an adventure for a group of players saying "That's cool and all, but we've decided to do something completely different."

All of which is problematic, as adventures don't sell well anyway. The more targetted an adventure is the smaller it's prospective audience.

I've heard that sentiment before, but I'm not sure where it comes from. Certainly Paizo would disagree with that statement. From what I've heard anecdotally, core books rake in the most money, but adventures sell just fine.