Automatically added to a game while AFK?

[Exotic Dreams]

Strange experience today. I was coming back from my kitchen and I heard a chime from my computer. I thought maybe it was from one of my turn based games on BGA. So I opened a window to check on BGA.
To my surprise, when I checked it said I had quit a game on BGA that had started ten minutes ago. Not only did I not join this game, I wasn't even using my computer when this game was started. I was in my kitchen cooking sweet potatoes at the time.

This is what I saw:
(user name of another player) declined to start the game
Exotic Dreams quits the game

[mikkashar]

Are you in any tournaments, and/or were you waiting on an arena match? Those games can start automatically, IIRC.

[Exotic Dreams]

I've never played in any tournaments.
For arena games you have to get into queue to play. Then when either another player gets into queue or there's enough players, these games start up.
I was not in queue to play any games at the time.

Only thing that I can think of maybe someone invited to me to this game.

[Meeplelowda]

Only thing that I can think of maybe someone invited to me to this game.

You would have to accept the invitation. You're not a live player until then.

Are you 100% sure you didn't join a queue, then closed the tab/window thinking that would remove you?

[Exotic Dreams]

"Are you 100% sure you didn't join a queue, then closed the tab/window thinking that would remove you?"

As I've explained, I was not at my computer at the time. I was in my kitchen in front of my cooking stove.
If I had been on my computer, then it could have been possible for me to join a game and forget.

[Jellby]

The question is whether you had queued for a game before at some point, and forgotten about it.

There doesn't seem to be any recently quitted game in your profile, anyway.

[Exotic Dreams]

Correct.
The last bigger penalty I have from "quitting a game" in my profile is from a game I was kicked from because I had a brief power outage.
The penalty I got before this one, was a game I was in queue for. While I was waiting for this game to start, I took my turn in a turn based game and got distracted. The other player ended up being online at the same time and I ended up playing this game further and missing the start of the game I was in queue for.

[Jellby]

Ah, sorry, now I read it again I see you didn't really quit a game in progress, just a table before it started. So first: no penalties and no worries. Then, this happens if you queue for a game and the you sort of "forget" about it (close or switch the tab, go to the kitchen...) without cancelling the search. As soon as the table is full, there will be a confirmation screen, and if you're AFK, the other player(s) will probably "decline" at some point (and sometimes you automatically quit after that, I'm not sure what determines this, but your being AFK may be a hint). If the table had been in Arena mode (or turn-based) there would have been no confirmation and the game would have just started. In that case, if you are AFK, you could have been kicked. So try to make sure to cancel your searches when you're no longer able or willing to keep track of the BGA tab.

[Exotic Dreams]

That's the issue. I did not get into queue to play this game.
If you get into queue to play a game, the game starts and you don't play, you will get a penalty. As I've explained that's how I got one of my two penalties on my profile.
Seems like the only reason I didn't get a penalty from this game is because the other player declined to start the game.

[Meeplelowda]

If you get into queue to play a game, the game starts and you don't play, you will get a penalty.

This is only true for Arena or turn-based games. Otherwise you are not forced into a game merely by being in the queue.