Also, if someone spends less time gathering, it gives them more time to rp with other people. Which is not a bad thing.
How many other crafts are there out there that give you back a portion of the raw CNR when you fail? Sure, it's realistic in the case of metal-working, but I have a problem with the logic that states that somehow RP in the world will increase when fewer people are running to get metal. Are RP and CNR-gathering somehow mutually exclusive?