Keith Baker and Monte Cook Are Instructing Workshops at DMU

Since 2018, Tabletop Vacations has been hosting immersive events where expert DMs manage Dungeons & Dragons games in historic castles in Britain and at an American castle venue. The full-service getaways are widely appreciated among forever DMs who seldom have the moment to participate as players themselves, and they often look for guidance from experts on topics ranging from spontaneous storytelling and puzzle design to managing conflicts at the table.

In response, the coordinators began developing a systematic approach to tackle these topics, which led to the creation of Dungeon Master University. The inaugural event is scheduled for January 2-3, 2026 at Oglethorpe University.

“You can watch countless online tutorials on any topic and acquire valuable insights, but the idea was that there’s just no substitute face-to-face interaction together with peers in game mastering, where real-time interaction with seasoned educators and your fellow DMs likely in a similar position and aim to enhance their abilities,” stated the dean of Dungeon Master University.

Available Classes and Cost Levels

Dungeon Masters can choose from tiers ranging from nearly a thousand dollars to $2.5K, based on the amount of contact they desire with the instructors. The base tier includes one of four courses:

• Skill Building: Focuses on the essentials of running D&D.
• Campaign Building: Is dedicated to crafting long-running games.
• Setting Creation: Highlights the development of worlds.
• Career Building: Aimed at dungeon masters who want to learn more about the tabletop profession.

Each course includes eight hours of classwork divided across a weekend.

“The classes are structured so that you walk away with usable skills, probably greater confidence, and numerous applicable methods,” Carl noted. “These aren't simple talks and they exceed pre-recorded material. These classes that you can join, learn from, and then go right back home the next week and implement in your local game.”

Professional Teachers

Many sessions are led by a pair of experts. Setting design is guided by the founder of Monte Cook Games and the creator of Eberron, jointly leading the skill of universe design.

Professional development includes four different teachers, such as an author on gaming puzzles, an entertainment professional, and Hunter Fell. The extra instructors is designed to deliver focused advice to attendees with definite objectives.

“Various attendees plan to create their own real-play series and present their narratives with the world, some of them want to publish and develop fresh ideas,” Carl said. “Some just want to ask, What's the path to be a DM at an event like an immersive experience? Which abilities that I need? Can anyone do it?”

Advanced Options

A $1.5K gold tier offers access to a opening gathering, a introductory package, and a half-hour consultation appointment with one of the faculty. This represents the first Dungeon Master Academy, though the team has previously run comparable workshops during breaks between game sessions at their immersive experiences.

“One could practically host an entire weekend just on consultation sessions for expert DMs,” Carl said. “I don’t know if that’s the best use of each attendee's hours – I believe the structured learning and the lab work is extremely important – but I suspect it’s going to be a highly favored parts of the program.”

The $2,500 premium option includes an extended personal consultation and the chance to manage an adventure for a small group plus a teacher, who will then offer feedback and instruction.

“The purpose is for the teacher to assess whatever the DM is concerned with: I struggle with spontaneous decisions or I get blocked in specific fight encounters. May I present a scene for you and obtain advice on what my strengths and weaknesses are?” Carl detailed. “Or maybe they want to receive input and information on a definite universe that they’ve been creating.”

Future Plans

Input from the first event will help determine upcoming academy workshops. Carl suggested that likely modifications could include expanding one-on-one sessions, lengthening the event to three days, or experimenting with different seminar structures.

“I anticipate that we do this frequently,” Carl stated. “I truly hope to see numerous academy events in a calendar year, in multiple places, and in multiple countries. The feedback has been really terrific. We're quite pleased with current developments and I think it would be fantastic to be able to organize these in conjunction with big conventions.”