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Quick, what's your favorite board game?

Chances are something familiar - like Monopoly or Scrabble or Trivial Pursuit - came to mind.

But there's a whole other world of games out there that you've likely never encountered, games involving strategic moves and ancient gods, outer space warfare and beautifully embellished boards - in short, games you'll find members of the Greater Attleboro Gamers Association playing on a fairly regular basis.

"We play a lot of games you've never heard of," says GAGA president and Attleboro resident Cynthia Sulaiman. "Games that you'd never see at Wal-Mart."

The group has about 100 members, 20 to 30 of whom regularly play at their twice-monthly gatherings at Rivendell Books and Games on Route 44 in Rehoboth. The family-oriented group plays mostly card and board games, and the classics like chess and Scrabble. But don't expect to find a Monopoly board at their meetings. "I once played a three-day game of Monopoly," says Sulaiman, 44. "I never want to play that game again."

Members typically play "German" games; board and card games that are generally more sophisticated than the party games you can find at big box stores. So named because many of the games are produced in Germany, they usually feature beautiful graphics, well-made game pieces, easy rules and short (30- to 90-minute) playing times. They also feature the game's designer prominently, either on the box itself or in the rule book.

German-style games are usually found at independent game stores and online retailers.

Why the attraction?

In a technologically-savvy world filled with the Internet and computer games and Wii gaming systems that cost upwards of $350, just what is it about board games that keep GAGA members enthralled? Sulaiman and her family also play computer games and are the proud owners of a new Wii console, but say that board games provide a social interaction that you just can't find with video games.

"Even though you're sitting and playing a video game against another person, it's still an isolating experience," says Sulaiman. "With board games, you're face-to-face. You're dealing with other people in real time."

Board games also allow players to develop strategies and different ways of problem solving - basically using your brain in creative ways, she says.

On a recent sunny Saturday afternoon, several players gathered at Rivendell in a room decorated with Lord of the Rings posters and colorful maps of imaginary lands, games like Blokus and For Sale and Carcassone piled neatly onto tables.

Four members quickly became embroiled in the fast-moving Zeus on the Loose, a card game involving a cute, traveling statue of Zeus and much addition and subtraction. The laughter flew as players grabbed Zeus and plopped him in front of themselves, only to have him snatched away seconds later by an opposing foe.

Member Dennis Toprac, 54, of Seekonk first discovered gaming in college, when he saw fellow students playing Magic. But he didn't really start gaming in earnest until recently. A self-described lover of "elegant" games, he thinks the club is a good way to get together and enjoy other people's company. "There were times in my life when things weren't going well," says Toprac, who teaches managerial courses at Brown University, "and gaming made me feel good about myself and about being in the company of others."

Like many others in the group, Bruce Heroux, 40, of Woonsocket, R.I. has been a gamer since his early years. A math teacher at the Woonsocket Middle School, he travels regularly to local gaming conventions and helped run the recent Total Confusion gaming convention in Mansfield.

He particularly likes the social aspect of board games; the face-to-face aspect is something you won't find in other genres.

"You don't interact with video games," he says.

His girlfriend Michele Panas, 36, of Pawtucket, has visited Rivendell twice now. She played games with her family growing up, but doesn't consider herself a gamer. She's having fun learning all the different titles, however, and has even been to a conference with Heroux.

With more than 300 games, Terry Moore lays claim to being the member with the largest collection. He's been playing games ever since he can remember and started buying them when he was just 12 years old.

The first game he ever bought was Alexander the Great, a historical war game in which the Macedonians battle the Persians. His favorites are Ticket to Ride, in which players build railways through the United States by collecting cards, and Acquire, a game in which players buy stock in companies and try to amass the most wealth.

The world of gaming is open to anyone, says Sulaiman. There are games about history, literature, art, war, diplomacy, ninjas, dueling bovines, medieval French towns - in short, there are games for just about anyone who wants to play them.

"There are a lot of games out there that are so different than what you'll see at Toys 'R Us," says Sulaiman. "There's something for everybody."

The Greater Attleboro Gamers Association meets the third Sunday of each month at Rivendell Books and Games, 224 Winthrop St., Rehoboth. For more information, visit their Web site at www.geocities.com/attleborogaming.