Just in time for Shabbat
Here is the reply I got from Eretz Hamdah, by way of ou.org......
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This is a somewhat difficult question to answer. You first ask about “compatible with Shabbat.” You then talk about “forbidden.” The latter is easier to answer. You can, as you describe, do things in a way which is not forbidden. However, there is a question of what is appropriate for Shabbat.
Shabbat is, on one hand, a day for physical relaxation and even indulgence. Thus, what makes a person feel happy, and is permitted, should be encouraged. On the other hand, Shabbat is a day where there should be spiritual elevation. This finds expression during the Shabbat davening, the zemirot during the meals, the practice that many who do not find time to attend Torah lectures during the week do so on Shabbat. Every person has to find a balance that works for him or her at their stage of life. In determining whether a certain activity is appropriate, one has to understand the person involved, the context, and the alternatives that exist.
Someone who realistically will not spend all day attending lectures or studying on his own can spend some time on board games. I have a little more reservation in giving a blessing to the type of activity you describe, because of the (admittedly not firmly based) impression that I get. That is that it appears that the getting together to play games which people tend to take very seriously creates an atmosphere where the highlight of the Shabbat is these games. The highlight should be the spiritual, the opportunity to spend the day with the family, etc. To the extent that these games cause one to lose the proper focus it is somewhat inappropriate.
To summarize, without knowing you, I cannot say anything definitive, as the matter of appropriate atmosphere is, realistically speaking, subjective. It is even possible that one should feel free to spend time on board games once in a while, but should be careful not to turn it into a Shabbat ritual.
Now, let us address the issue of the miniature forms. The Shulchan Aruch Yoreh Deah 141:4 writes “It is forbidden to draw the form of man…and if a non-Jew made them it is forbidden to own…when is this said, in reference to forms that stick out, but in imprinted forms it is permitted… and if they are for educational purposes they are permitted even if they are sticking out.” (Examples of sunken images are embroidery on a cloth or writing on a wall).
There are some that say that it is forbidden to make or own a 3 dimensional form of man even for decorative purposes (Shulchan Aruch ibid.), and there are others who say that the prohibition applies only to a whole body form and that a head is permitted (Shulchan Aruch ibid. 7).
Because the entire prohibition is derived from idol worship, and in our days there is minimal fear of idol worship, there are those who are lenient regarding human statues in homes.
One must also differentiate between set statues of people, which are forbidden, and movable forms, which are permitted because there is no fear of transgressing with them.
Regarding play dolls, which are not set images and not for decorative purposes, it is possible to be lenient and permit them to be formed and certainly to keep them after they have been made (Yechaveh Da’at 3:64).
The same should apply to little forms that are used as play pieces in a board game.
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Paladinwife
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