Harry Potter: Catch the Snitch Rules and How to Play

Harry Potter: Catch the Snitch is a two-player Quidditch game with miniatures from Knight Games, the board game arm of the Spanish miniatures maker Knight Models. It was funded on Kickstarter in 2020 and reached players at the end of 2022. Each of you coaches a house team of seven: pass the Quaffle, hit the other team with Bludgers and race your Seeker towards the Golden Snitch. Whoever catches the Snitch wins, and every goal helps you get there.

Harry Potter: Catch the SnitchQuidditch miniatures game, 2 players

2 players
40 to 60 min
Ages 14+
Miniatures

Amazon.co.uk

2Players

14+Age on the box

40 to 60Minutes

33Miniatures

The rules online are out of date

The rulebook PDF from the 2020 Kickstarter, which also appears on rules websites, describes an older version. In the boxed game the Snitch race runs during the match, and Snitch cards work differently. Play with the rulebook in the box and the official FAQ from February 2023.

What is in the box

33 miniaturesFour complete house teams of seven, an extra Harry Potter, and the four balls.

Double-sided boardThe Hogwarts pitch on one side, a World Cup pitch on the other, with the Snitch track around the edge.

Over 160 cardsPlayer cards, Tactical cards for each house, Snitch cards and Spectators.

9 diceThree colours of different strength.

Over 100 tokensStunned, Goal, Tempo and dice tokens, flags and more.

14 coloured base ringsThey show each miniature's position on the team.

Your team

Each coach plays one house. A team always has seven players, and each player card shows which actions that player can take and how many dice of which colour they roll.

3 ChasersOrange ring

Carry, pass and shoot the Quaffle, and steal it from the other team.

2 BeatersBlack ring

Hit Bludgers at rival players and protect their own team-mates.

1 KeeperWhite ring

Guards the three hoops and tries to catch shots. Outside its area it plays like a Chaser.

1 SeekerPurple ring

Never plays on the pitch. It races the Golden Snitch on the track around the board.

Setup

Put the board in the middle, Hogwarts side up, and lay out the tokens and dice.
Each coach picks a house. For the first game, use only the free player cards and the house's 15 basic Tactical cards.
Put the base rings on the miniatures: orange Chasers, black Beaters, white Keepers, purple Seekers.
Seekers go on the start of the Snitch track. Keepers stand in their own scoring area, everyone else in their half of the pitch.
Each coach takes their Block tokens, Tempo tokens, flags and Goal Hoop cards, shuffles their Tactical deck and draws 5 cards.
A kick-off roll decides which team starts with the Quaffle. Each coach puts a Bludger in the other team's half, and the players fly out of their starting zones one by one.

A round

1 Tactics

Both coaches secretly pick a Tactical card. Its Action Blocks decide how many actions you get.

2 Intrepid Moves

Play up to two more cards for their special effects. They resolve in reverse order.

3 Action Blocks

The coaches take turns, block by block: move, pass, shoot, steal, beat or recover.

4 Bludgers and Snitch

Each coach moves a Bludger at a rival player, then each takes a Snitch card.

The order of the blocks stays the same for the whole round, even if the Quaffle changes hands.

Actions and dice

MoveAny player moves to a neighbouring zone. Outnumbered players can't move out.

PassTo another Chaser up to two zones away. A failed pass drops the Quaffle nearby.

ShootA Chaser in the rival scoring area shoots. The Keeper may try to catch.

StealTake the Quaffle from a carrier in the same zone.

BeatA Beater next to a Bludger hits a rival up to two zones away. The target is stunned and drops the Quaffle.

RecoverRemove a Stunned token from a player.

Dice show Successes and Opportunities. You need Successes for actions, while the other side answers with a reaction (Steal, Manoeuvre, Defence or Catch) that counts Opportunities, and each Opportunity cancels one Success. A team with fewer players in a zone rolls worse, and every Stunned token costs a player one result, up to three tokens.

Scoring goals

If the rival Keeper is guarding the hoops, both coaches first secretly pick a Goal Hoop card from 1 to 3. Different numbers give the shooter an extra Success. A goal gives you a Goal token and a Snitch card, and your Action Block ends. After every shot, hit or miss, the defending Keeper takes the Quaffle and kicks it out to a team-mate. With no Keeper at home, the ball lands loose outside the area.

Goals do not decide the match on their own. Their value is the Snitch card they bring.

Successful passes, steals, beats and shots also earn a Tempo point. Instead of taking it, you may make an immediate free pass or a quick move. You can hold three Tempo points, and a fourth turns straight into a Snitch card.

The Snitch race and how to win

While the Chasers fight over the Quaffle, the two Seekers race along the track around the board. Snitch cards move your Seeker forward, push the rival Seeker back or bring the Golden Snitch closer. Some can be saved and combined with the next card for a stronger effect.

Where Snitch cards come from

Every roundEach coach takes one at the end

Every goalThe scorer takes one

4th Tempo pointTurns into a Snitch card

Catch the SnitchFirst Seeker to reach it wins at once

Building your team with Galleons

Once you know the game, agree on a budget of Galleons (the rules suggest 5) and spend it on stronger player cards, better Tactical cards and Spectators who help from the stands. Your Tactical deck always stays at 15 cards, and the team always has the same seven positions.

Expansions

Star Players8 named miniatures, among them Harry, Ron, Ginny, Cho Chang, Cedric Diggory and Draco Malfoy, each with their own trait.

National Quidditch Team7 miniatures for a national team, so World Cup games need no house figures.

World CupTen national teams, Event cards and rules for leagues and championships on the second side of the board.

In 2026 the base game and Star Players are still in some shops, while the World Cup expansions are hard to find.

Rules questions

The Quaffle changed hands. Who acts first in the next Action Block?

Nobody new. Keep alternating exactly as the round started.

What happens after a goal?

The scorer takes a Goal token and a Snitch card, and their block ends. The shooter moves out of the area, and the Keeper takes the Quaffle and kicks it out.

Can I pass back to my Keeper?

No. Passes go to Chasers.

When do I pick up a loose Quaffle?

As soon as your Chaser takes any action in that zone. You may pick it up and pass straight away.

My Beat knocked the Quaffle loose. Do I keep my remaining actions?

No. The Action Block ends when the Quaffle goes loose. Actions granted by traits or cards still happen.

If I play two Intrepid Moves, do both work?

Yes. All of them resolve, in reverse order. A later card does not cancel an earlier one unless it says so.

Can a player first try Defence and then Manoeuvre?

No. Only one reaction per action.

How many Tempo points can I hold?

Three. The fourth turns into a Snitch card at once.

What is the difference between "Accelerate 3" and "Accelerate +3"?

"Accelerate 3" gives three automatic Successes without rolling. "Accelerate +3" means roll and add three Successes.

Are the rules on rules websites correct?

Usually not. Most copies online are the 2020 Kickstarter rules. Use the rulebook in the box and the official FAQ.

Is it worth buying?

Catch the Snitch is the most serious Quidditch game there is: a real match with passing, tackling and Bludgers, plus team building for players who like to tinker. It is a hobby game, though, not a family game. The rulebook is hard to follow, so expect to look things up in the FAQ during your first matches.

Good

Detailed miniatures of four full house teams
Feels like a real Quidditch match
Team building with Galleons and Star Players
Goals feed the Snitch race, so both matter

Not so good

Confusing rulebook with few examples
Fragile miniatures, smaller than promised
The Snitch race can matter more than the match
Pricey, and the expansions are hard to find

Get it if you are two Harry Potter fans who enjoy sports or miniatures games. For a quick family game, Harry Potter Labyrinth is the easier pick.