Quidditch...

cgpg5

My one problem with Quidditch is this:

The seeker and the snitch.

So essentially the chasers have to bust their asses trying to get scores which in the end may aswell count for nothing. Theoretically you could score 140 points to nothing and then the other team could catch the snitch and win. More often than not whoever catches the snitch wins so would it be a better tactic to have a chaser or two helping to look for the snitch rather than trying to score? :pac:

I love the HP series but this is a problem I have with it. You could completely dominate a game and lose it just because you've a bad seeker or they've a good one but terrible chasers.

Now I believe the reason the seeker position was invented was for Harry especially and that he'd have a stand out role that would influence the outcome of games. Originally it was probably intended for a younger audience so JK may not have thought through it as much. But I just thought it was interesting

Any other problems you had with the series? I thought it was a great one overall (my favourite ever) but not without a flaw or two!

wnolan1992

Problem is, if you put two Chasers on Snitch-watch, the other team would have free reign with the Quaffle, and would rack up hundreds of points unless you had one of the best Keepers in the game. Chasers don't only score points, they stop the other team from scoring as well with interceptions.

Didn't Krum catch the Snitch in the Quidditch WC but Bulgaria still lost?

I don't think it's as much of an issue in the books because matches are short (each one lasts a chapter, or two at most, and are usually coinciding with significant events like Quirrell cursing Harry or Harry and Hermione going into the Forest to find Grawp) as well as your own point that Harry had to be built up as a hero amongst his House, and what better way to do that than having a significant role in all the Quidditch games. I think over the course of a season of "real" Quidditch, you'd likely find a lot of games where catching the Snitch doesn't guarantee victory.

The Big Red Button

wnolan1992 wrote: »

I think over the course of a season of "real" Quidditch, you'd likely find a lot of games where catching the Snitch doesn't guarantee victory.

But it's a tactical thing - the Seeker just wouldn't catch the Snitch unless it would mean a win!

wnolan1992

chatterpillar wrote: »

But it's a tactical thing - the Seeker just wouldn't catch the Snitch unless it would mean a win!

Argh, it's been too long since I've read the books. Didn't even cop that side of it until you said it. :pac:

cgpg5

Yeah tbh it's not that much of a big deal but interesting points.

Yeah you're right Krum caught the snitch. Been a while since I read GoF but why on earth did he do it when it meant he lost or was he unaware of score??

Also the portkey plothole as I like to call it in GoF puzzled me a bit, why go through the whole TT hoping Harry would get to the cup first, why not just hand him a book (with portkey)/disapparate from Hogsmeade or something? :pac:

wnolan1992

cgpg5 wrote: »

Yeah tbh it's not that much of a big deal but interesting points.

Yeah you're right Krum caught the snitch. Been a while since I read GoF but why on earth did he do it when it meant he lost or was he unaware of score??

My memory of GoF isn't the best (only've read it two or three times, none of them recently) but I'm pretty sure he was gushing blood after being hit by a bludger.

Could also be a possibility that he was under the Imperius Curse to end the game at a specific time, so that everyone would be back in their tents in time to see the Death Eaters' display.

Also the portkey plothole as I like to call it in GoF puzzled me a bit, why go through the whole TT hoping Harry would get to the cup first, why not just hand him a book (with portkey)/disapparate from Hogsmeade or something? :pac:

Well I think the issue there might be that Harry wasn't really ever alone in Hogsmeade. Would've looked a bit suspicious if Harry just disappeared into thin air one day, and everything about the portkey plan seems to suggest that Voldemort wanted to keep his return a secret for a little longer. Ideally Harry was meant to get to the cup way ahead of everyone else, and would no one would have known where he'd gone for a few hours (they didn't realise Cedric and Harry had gone anywhere until they arrived back).

But again, my memory of the book is hazy. It does give me a reason to re-read it though!

Orim

cgpg5 wrote: »

Yeah you're right Krum caught the snitch. Been a while since I read GoF but why on earth did he do it when it meant he lost or was he unaware of score??

Krum caught the snitch because Bulgaria were getting smashed. The Irish team were far better and Krum wanted to end the game on his terms with a respectable score line.

cgpg5 wrote: »

Also the portkey plothole as I like to call it in GoF puzzled me a bit, why go through the whole TT hoping Harry would get to the cup first, why not just hand him a book (with portkey)/disapparate from Hogsmeade or something? :pac:

As Nolan said Harry was pretty much never on his own and Voldemort would've wanted some element of secrecy to the whole thing. Also if I remember right its not easy to make a port key so the deatheaters just might not have had the capability.

wnolan1992

Orim wrote: »

As Nolan said Harry was pretty much never on his own and Voldemort would've wanted some element of secrecy to the whole thing. Also if I remember right its not easy to make a port key so the deatheaters just might not have had the capability.

And wasn't it the case that the Cup was a portkey anyway (meant to take the winner from the centre of the maze to the winners' circle, and that Karkaroff(was he the traitor in GoF?) just rerouted it?

Or did I just assume that was the case with no evidence whatsoever... :P

cgpg5

wnolan1992 wrote: »

And wasn't it the case that the Cup was a portkey anyway (meant to take the winner from the centre of the maze to the winners' circle, and that Karkaroff(was he the traitor in GoF?) just rerouted it?

Or did I just assume that was the case with no evidence whatsoever... :P

You're right but I always thought that it was just very risky to rely on Harry getting through the TT okay.

Crouch Jr was the traitor btw (impersonating Moody!)

wnolan1992

cgpg5 wrote: »

You're right but I always thought that it was just very risky to rely on Harry getting through the TT okay.

Crouch Jr was the traitor btw (impersonating Moody!)

Ah Jaysus, my lack of knowledge of GoF is frightening. :pac:

Crouch did everything he could to make sure Harry was getting through the tasks though - giving Neville the book with Gillyweed in it, Cedric and the egg.

The only time Harry was in any real danger during the TT was the task with the dragon, and even then he had the edge of being a gifted flyer. He was in no danger in the Great Lake because if he had gotten into difficulty he would have been saved quickly, and by the time he got to the maze it was just a matter of knocking out his opponents one by one.

Definitely risky and far more complicated than it needed to be, but effective nonetheless. :pac:

Fuzzy_Dunlop

Making catching the snitch worth 150 points is absolutely ridiculous and shows a very poor understanding of competitive sports really. It should be worth like 50 maybe.

Also this was a thing in the movies moreso, but despite there being three hoops to aim for, the chasers always went for the one the goalkeeper was staying in front of!