the part about only being a one man, or part of a small team, just doesn't wash with me... personal problems should be left at the door...
That's a bit harsh. Who says a person is working on their game alone because they have personal issues to deal with?
It could just be that they are writing (for example) a RPG, but everyone they've approached about helping them is more interested in writing a FPS. Or they want it to be in 2D, but others want it to be 3D. There could be many reasons why someone would turn down the chance to work on someone else's game. If you were to offer me a chance to co-code your sub game then I would politely decline - not because it doesn't sound like it could be good, but simply because it isn't my thing.
Plus people's lives aren't that simple. Some of us are married, some of us have kids, some of us are still teenagers - all with different schedules and priorities. Getting two or more people to truly dedicate themselves to a project is not easy! Especially when, in 95% of cases, they're not going to be paid for it.