Quidditch positions, the Snitch and scoring

A Quidditch side in Quidditch Manager has seven players in four roles: three Chasers, one Keeper, two Beaters and one Seeker. This page explains what each position does, how a match is scored, how the Golden Snitch decides games and what every player attribute means for the role.

• The game
• Scoring
• The four roles
• Attributes
• Formations

The game in one minute

Two teams of seven fly brooms. Chasers pass the Quaffle and score through the hoops. Beaters hit Bludgers at opponents to break up their play, and a Seeker chases the Golden Snitch. The match is simulated minute by minute; you can watch it live with commentary and change the formation, the Beater targets, the intensity and the Seeker's orders, or play it as an instant result.

Scoring

• Goal: every Quaffle goal is worth 10 points.
• Golden Snitch: catching it adds the Snitch value and ends the match. You choose the value for your career: 30, 50 or 150 points.
• Winning: the team that catches the Snitch wins unless it was more than the Snitch value behind. With a 150-point Snitch, a catch while 160 points down loses the match; with a 30-point Snitch, a catch while 40 down loses it.
• The Snitch's value shapes strategy. A big Snitch makes the Seeker decisive, while a small one puts more weight on Chasers and Keeper.

Each minute there is a natural chance that the Snitch is sighted, and it rises as the match goes on. If both Seekers chase, the better Seeker is favoured, and a Seeker who chases alone wins any catch that succeeds. The Snitch can still escape a chase, depending on the chaser's speed, and at minute 250 the catch is forced, so no match is endless. You can tell your Seeker to commit at every sighting, to follow the team's catch rule, or to hold back until the forced chase at the end.

The four roles

3 Chasers

Chasers pass the Quaffle and shoot it through the hoops. Each goal is worth 10 points. Possession is shared out every two minutes using passing, handling, teamwork and fatigue, and a shot is converted according to the attack rating against twice the Keeper rating, so a strong Keeper takes a lot out of a shot.

Primary (counts three times): Shooting, Passing, Handling. Secondary (twice): Speed, Agility, Teamwork. Support (once): Stamina, Positioning, Composure.

1 Keeper

The Keeper guards the three hoops. Saves depend on reflexes, positioning, composure, handling and agility. A strong Keeper cancels good Chasers: a shot succeeds with a chance of attack divided by attack plus twice the Keeper rating.

Primary (counts three times): Reflexes, Positioning. Secondary (twice): Composure, Handling, Agility. Support (once): Strength, Stamina, Bravery, Leadership.

2 Beaters

Beaters hit Bludgers at the opposition. You choose whether they go after the other side's Chasers, Keeper or Seeker, and how hard they play. A landed Bludger weakens its target for about six minutes, and the Beaters on the other side can block it with their own support. A match has roughly eight or nine Bludger events.

Primary (counts three times): Batting, Strength. Secondary (twice): Positioning, Bravery, Stamina. Support (once): Speed, Agility, Teamwork, Leadership.

1 Seeker

The Seeker hunts the Golden Snitch. Catching it ends the match and scores the Snitch value. Each minute the Snitch may be sighted, and the chance a Seeker catches it grows with their rating (with two Seekers chasing, the starting catch chance is the fourth power of one Seeker rating divided by the sum of the fourth powers of both Seeker ratings).

Primary (counts three times): Snitch Sense, Agility. Secondary (twice): Speed, Composure, Bravery. Support (once): Stamina, Positioning, Handling.

You can place any player in any slot, but a player outside their natural position suffers a 5% penalty on top of the weights of the new role. Chasers also have a hand: a winger whose hand matches their flank is natural and keeps the ball, and one on the opposite flank is inverted, cutting inside to shoot. A rare two-handed Chaser fits either side.

What the player attributes do

Every player has 15 attributes on a scale of 1 to 20, in three groups: physical (Speed, Agility, Stamina and Strength), mental (Bravery, Composure, Positioning, Teamwork and Leadership), technical (Handling, Passing, Shooting, Reflexes, Batting and Snitch Sense). A player's rating for a role is a weighted average of the attributes that role cares about: primary attributes count three times, secondary twice and support once, and the rest not at all. The same weights drive both the number shown on a player card and the strength used in matches. Fitness, morale, match sharpness, weather, broomstick and team cohesion then scale that rating in the match.

Some examples of what this means for a manager: a Seeker with high Snitch Sense and Agility will out-chase a faster but less sensitive rival; a Keeper needs Reflexes and Positioning more than raw strength; Beaters live on Batting and Strength; and Chasers are the position where Shooting, Passing and Handling all matter equally. Young players grow towards a hidden potential through training and match time, which the beginner's guide covers.

Formations

Before and during a match you choose one of 5 named formations, each with its own balance of attack, defence, tempo and risk:

• Hawkshead Arrowhead. Fast, direct attacks reward speed and shooting. More chances at both ends, with space left behind.
• Parkin's Pincer. Press for interceptions with positioning, teamwork and stamina. Higher tempo, fatigue and foul risk.
• Classic Triangle. Balanced tempo and positioning: one advanced Chaser, two support runners. Reliable without a specialist advantage.
• Fortress. Compact defence slows the game and creates counter-attacks. Fewer possessions and sustained attacks of your own.
• Woollongong Loop. Passing and handling retain possession and build openings. Slower tempo; poor execution struggles against pressing.

Keep reading

• How to play
• All 21 leagues
• Competitions

Play Quidditch Manager free