permissible only if the following three conditions are met:
1. One should not get so absorbed in it that he delays his
salat; chess is well-known to be a stealer of time.
2. There should be no gambling involved.
3. The players should not utter obscenities or vulgarities.
If any of these conditions are not met it should be considered as
haram.
http://www.islamicboard.com/fiqh/499...ames-dice.html
^^ this was taken from a post about chess but perhaps it could apply to other similar games/pursuits wa Allah Aalim
I never gamble for money but sometimes play these games with matches, tokens etc just for fun
ROFL this sounds a bit like halal bacon (made of soya and suchlike) to me