Recent research shows that 35% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 34 play games with family and friends at least once a month. And just over a quarter (26%) play games at least once a week. CBS News reports a surge in younger folks taking to board games.
Vermonter Kyle Thompson hopes his new music-inspired board game will soon join the ranks amongst favorites like Monopoly and checkers for game players of all ages. It's a game that explores the songs that activate our memories and emotions.
Thompson, also known by his stage name “Fattie B,” is a giant in the Burlington music scene. He was part of the genre-blending group Belizbeha in the early 2000s. He's been a local club DJ for decades and has a podcast called "3Some" airing on Big Heavy World on Tuesday evenings.
And it's the podcast that served as the board game's impetus. In it, Thompson gets to do his favorite thing: talk music with his guests, primarily about the stories that connect people to certain songs.
His guests — all Vermonters — dive deep into their connections to three songs in their lives and the memories they stir up.
"I honestly just did the podcast as a labor of love because I love talking music with people and music stories," Thompson said.
That's the basis for the game he's calling "Drop The Needle," a reference to playing vinyl records.
In a whirlwind two months, the podcast-turned-board-game has moved from concept to near-completion: "Drop The Needle" will be available soon.
"The questions are all picked out. I've got the website. I've got the game pieces," Thompson said.
The impetus to create a game sprung from conversations with podcast guests and listeners who were spurred on by the podcast and continued to have deep conversations about musical memories on their own with friends.
"I had one person call me and say, 'I had dinner with my best friend of 35 years and I learned more about him from his three song stories than I knew before he got there,’" Thompson said.
And Thompson said that bears out. "Some of these conversations, unless you're prompted, you're not talking about these things that had this deep impact on your life," he said.
After Thompson's sister shared that a friend found a podcast episode especially profound, Thompson realized its positive reverberations, and then his sister said, "You should turn this into a game."
Thompson said he began to map out the concept in his head. "If I was going to do this, what would it look like? What would it feel like? And then I sent an email to like, 20 of my most creative friends."
His friends populated his inbox with potential music-memory-jogging questions and prompts, then Thompson connected with a company that prints and makes games. And it's now going into production.
"What song would make the funniest ringtone for your worst-ever boss?"
"What was the very first record, CD, cassette or 8-track that you purchased with your own money? Please tell the story."Sample questions submitted by Alex Fredericks and Shauna Anderson from the board game Drop The Needle
Thompson said each game box will include 150 cards — each bearing attributions to his friends who submitted the questions — along with small game pieces that look like miniature 45 records as tokens for keeping track of who has told their stories.
But more than winning a round, "It's really more about diving into these conversations, diving into these stories, having these memories flood back to you," Thompson said.
He said he hopes the game will also bridge some divides.
"I think, most importantly, and what everyone is really relaying to me is like, this is something that the world needs right now, getting people in the same room and speaking to each other."
Thompson said he's imagining groups of family and friends gathered around for "a positive, you know, meeting of the minds and sharing of emotion and human connection, the questions are amazing. I think people are going to have such a blast playing it."
Ten percent of "Drop The Needle" game sales will go to an organization called Musicians On Call. They work with artists like Noah Kahan and Stevie Wonder, who visit hospitals and bring critically ill patients a much-needed diversion with music and conversation.
And board game players will be able to get in on the questions, too. Going forward, Thompson says, there's going to be a card in the pack with a QR code that says, "Submit your questions here," and players can scan it and submit questions for future expansion packs.
"For me, finding a way to pay things back while I'm doing something has always been important," Thompson said.
Drop The Needle will be available for sale on its website, as well small stores throughout New England in the coming months. Mary Williams Engisch was a guest on the "3Some" podcast in May 2025.
