Board Game Arena

Why do some players join a table but then refuse to start?

This has happened a few times lately and I can't imagine any other reason but strong players not wanting to lose rank to an unknow novice player.

Are there other reasons I'm not aware?

BTW, I didn't find a topic with this specific question.

I have encountered this issue with different games. Some is because some players jump on joining a table without looking at the settings first and when the table goes for everyone to accept they realize it has settings they don’t like so they decline and leave. I have some decline because because they didn’t like the low reputation of certain players and did not want to take a chance to begin a game that would be interrupted. Other times I have no clue they don’t say anything and just keep declining yet stay at the table.

It can also happen when they lose their internet connection.

I block people who do this. There really shouldn't be any option to "accept". Once you join a table the game should start.

For less popular games they may have selected the game 10-15 minutes earlier then gone off to do something else on their computer while more players joined and then get the popup ‘accept game’ and reconsider it at that point.

maybe it happens in case they wait for new tables with automatic research whereas you are in manual research. You see them joined the game but they don't see the game until it is ready to start. Then, if it is not the right configuration or if they are in a table with ELO very different (higher or lower), they leave the game.

I think that it is still better than leaving the game after the start

Maybe they join when there are only players of some category in the table, and they're fine with that. But then the table administrator changes the settings, or some "unwanted" player joins (low karma, wrong level, your neighboring country). I've even been placed in tables with players I have explicitly red-thumbed (no Arena, no tournament), apparently they were invited after I joined the table (and by inviting players you can also "break" your own rules about karma and level).

On top of that, one more question : How come players are allowed to "not accept" to start an Arena game they were waiting for ?

Kind of weird this is happening several times every day now.