Hello @nutsymcgee
This game mode costs 5 stars to host. This hosting is only exclusive to the owner of the current Backyard Battleground in the party/group. Even if a different member tries to initiate the game, the host is the one who is supposed to spend the stars.
These stars are deducted once the game is confirmed to start and can not be refunded. If a player in the lobby leaves when the rest of the party is ready, the game will confirm immediately and will not give you a chance to stop the game. Once the game has started, any crashes, exits, etc will not refund these stars. I personally dislike this idea though it is how the game structured it.
If you find this answer helpful, please press the XP button and the Accept Solution button.
-VoltScience: Exposition Mage
