Yeah. The three-way party split was not the best idea I've ever had. Let that be a lesson to anyone else who attempts it in PbP.
I disagree. I think it could work, and can only work in pbp.
RL games I've been in saw me waste two sessions waiting on the GM to let me attempt to get out of a chair. I got poisoned, rolled a save natural 20, GM said I'd failed. I got to watch another character fight on a monitor, but I and the GMs roommate both were tied up. I realized
Wait, I scheduled my work around this game, am missing hours, because you want me to be a seguay?!
Considering the eventual escape could have been accomplished in, like, five minutes of game play, and we had six people around the table, yeah it was annoying.
As long as the other players not only have something to do, but are actively trying to find something to do, that's good. You as GM can only give them something to do, you can't make them do it, you can't make them post, you can't write their dialogue for them.
I think pbp is a genre of game with the weakness and strength that it goes whenever players and GM find time to sit down and write it. RL happens.
so, for our game, you clearly had something for every party member to do during the split. While we did have some posting lag (I had a couple days there myself) having the party split allowed us to cover more ground.
Even Drivan tied up was involved. Personally I'll take away from those scenes a design structure for making tied-up challenges. Can we have a clear list of objectives? Can he succeed at those without becoming frustrated and giving up? Is there information he can get from the kidnappers about where he is? Yes, and he did those. I would give him a prize for this RP, as I think he's earned it.