Keith Baker and Monte Cook Will Lead Classes at Dungeon Master Academy

Since 2018, Tabletop Vacations has been running deeply engaging experiences where expert DMs manage Dungeons & Dragons games in historic castles in England and at Landoll’s Mohican Castle. These all-inclusive trips are especially popular among forever DMs who infrequently find the opportunity to participate as players themselves, and they often seek advice from seasoned professionals on topics ranging from improv and creating challenges to handling difficult situations at the table.

In response, the coordinators began developing a organized method to tackle these topics, which led to the creation of DMU. The inaugural event is scheduled for January 2-3, 2026 at a university in Atlanta.

“You can watch numerous digital guides on any topic and acquire valuable insights, but the concept was that nothing truly replaces face-to-face interaction in the company of other dungeon masters, where real-time interaction with seasoned educators and your fellow DMs likely in a similar position and seek to improve their skills,” stated Jason Carl.

Workshop Options and Pricing Tiers

Dungeon Masters can choose from options ranging from nearly a thousand dollars to $2,500, according to the degree of interaction they desire with the professionals. The base tier includes selection from four classes:

• Skill Building: Teaches the basics of leading a game.
• Story Arc Development: Centers on building persistent adventures.
• Setting Creation: Concentrates on the art of setting design.
• Career Building: Aimed at dungeon masters who want to learn more about the gaming industry.

All workshops includes eight hours of classwork spread over two days.

“The workshops are structured so that you depart having immediate practical outcomes, enhanced belief in your abilities, and many practical techniques,” Carl noted. “These aren't simple talks and they go beyond recorded content. These workshops that you can attend, gain knowledge from, and then return to your group the next week and put into practice in your local game.”

Expert Instructors

The majority of workshops are taught by two professors. Worldbuilding is led by an industry veteran and Keith Baker, jointly leading the craft of setting creation.

Professional development features multiple instructors, such as an author on gaming puzzles, an entertainment professional, and an early professional game master. The extra instructors is meant to provide specialized information to participants with specific goals.

“Some of them plan to create their own D&D actual play and present their narratives with the world, some of them aim to release and develop fresh ideas,” Carl stated. “Several only seek to ask, What does it take to be a DM at an event like D&D in a Castle? What capabilities that I need? Is this achievable?”

Advanced Options

A $1.5K gold tier includes access to a welcome reception, a starter kit, and a 30-minute office hour appointment with an instructor. This marks the debut of the program, though the team has previously run comparable workshops during breaks between game sessions at their immersive experiences.

“You could almost run an complete event just on office hours for career game masters,” Carl mentioned. “I don’t know if that’s the most effective utilization of all participants' schedule – I believe the structured learning and the hands-on activities is highly beneficial – but I believe it’s going to be one of the most popular parts of the program.”

The twenty-five hundred dollar top package offers an 60-minute private session and the possibility to lead a session for several participants plus an instructor, who will then provide notes and coaching.

“The goal is for the faculty member to evaluate any element is interested in: I have difficulty with improvisation or I get blocked in certain battle scenarios. Can I run a scene for you and obtain advice on my areas of proficiency and challenge?” Carl detailed. “Or maybe they want to receive input and guidance on a definite universe that they’ve been building.”

Future Plans

Feedback from the debut workshop will help guide future Dungeon Master University sessions. Carl said that possible changes could include adding more office hours, lengthening the event to a longer period, or trying out different seminar structures.

“I anticipate that we do this very often,” Carl said. “I really want to see multiple Dungeon Master Universities in a calendar year, in various locations, and in different countries. The feedback has been really terrific. We're extremely satisfied with the results so far and I believe it would be amazing to be able to conduct this in conjunction with major events.”