As heard on Vermont Public

Podcast to Board Game: A Conversation with Vermont Public

A song from an important night in your life can bring the whole thing rushing back — the people, the feelings, the story. Vermont Public sat down with creator Kyle Thompson to talk about how that idea grew from a local podcast into Drop The Needle, a board game built around the music behind our memories. Here are the highlights.

Read and listen to the full interview on Vermont Public →

The voice behind the game

If you have spent any time in the Burlington music scene, you probably know Kyle Thompson by his stage name, Fattie B. He was a member of Belizbeha, the genre-mixing group that made its mark in the early 2000s, and he has been working as a club DJ in Vermont for decades.

These days he also hosts 3Some, a podcast that airs Tuesday evenings on Big Heavy World. That show is where Drop The Needle began.

Three songs, one life story

The format of 3Some is simple. Each guest, always a Vermonter, brings three songs that matter to them and explains why. What comes out is rarely a review of the music. It is a first apartment, a road trip, a loss, a wedding, a breakup — the moments those songs are stitched into.

Thompson told Vermont Public he started the show purely for the love of trading music stories. But listeners kept taking the format home with them. One person reached out to say a dinner built around three-song stories had taught them more about a best friend of 35 years than they had ever known. Thompson’s point: most of us never talk about the songs that shaped us unless somebody asks.

From inbox to game box

A nudge from his sister

The game idea came from family. After hearing that a friend had been moved by one episode, Thompson’s sister suggested he turn the show into something people could play. He started sketching what it might look and feel like, then emailed roughly 20 of his most creative friends and asked them for questions that would get people talking about music and memory.

Those friends filled his inbox. Thompson then partnered with a company that manufactures games, and in about two months the project went from a concept to a finished design heading into production.

What’s in the box

The prompts range from playful to personal. Some ask you to match a song to a ridiculous situation; others send you back to the very first album you ever bought with your own money and ask you to tell the story behind it.

It’s not really about winning

Thompson was clear that keeping score is beside the point. The goal is the conversation itself — letting a question open a door and watching memories flood back for everyone around the table. He pictures families and groups of friends gathered for an evening of honest stories and real connection.

“This is something that the world needs right now.”

Giving back, and growing the deck

Ten percent of Drop The Needle sales will go to Musicians On Call, a nonprofit that brings live music and conversation to patients in hospitals. Thompson said finding ways to give back has always mattered to him.

Players also get a say in what comes next. A card in the pack carries a QR code linking to a submission page, so anyone can send in their own questions for future expansion packs.

Where to find it

Drop The Needle is sold through its own website, with plans for small shops around New England to carry it as well.

This post summarizes highlights from “A Vermont podcast about musical memories becomes a board game,” reported by Mary Williams Engisch for Vermont Public and published October 11, 2025. Engisch appeared as a guest on 3Some in May 2025. Listen to the full segment on Vermont Public’s site.

Ready to tell your three songs? Get your copy of Drop The Needle.