I appreciate your kindness, but don't feel like blaming yourself or anyone. 

I am not discouraged by the lack of updates, because I have not been diligent in them myself. Simply, I chose to be busy with other things. I only have myself to blame. In any case, expect to see an official rollcall in a day or two. If a few people drop out, then I can simply move forward with my initial plan of a smaller, more close-knit party for this roleplay. After observing this first combat and exploration encounter, I feel it is probably for the best to slim down numbers anyway. The way I organize the game and scenes is more suitable to a small party, where character interaction doesn't feel so clustered and awkward.