Keith Baker along with Keith Baker Are Instructing Workshops at DMU

Since 2018, Tabletop Vacations has been organizing immersive events where professional dungeon masters run Dungeons & Dragons games in ancient fortresses in Britain and at Landoll’s Mohican Castle. These all-inclusive trips are widely appreciated among career game masters who infrequently find the opportunity to participate as players themselves, and they often look for guidance from seasoned professionals on topics ranging from improv and puzzle design to handling difficult situations at the table.

In response, the organizers began crafting a systematic approach to tackle these topics, which led to the creation of the Dungeon Master Academy. The debut workshop is scheduled for early January 2026 at Oglethorpe University.

“There are numerous digital guides on almost every theme and acquire valuable insights, but the concept was that nothing truly replaces face-to-face interaction together with peers in game mastering, where there’s live engagement with expert teachers and other game masters likely in the same boat and aim to level up their game,” explained the dean of Dungeon Master University.

Course Offerings and Ticket Packages

Dungeon Masters can choose from options ranging from just under $1,000 to $2,500, based on the amount of contact they desire with the instructors. The entry-level option includes a choice of four workshops:

• Skill Building: Covers the essentials of leading a game.
• Story Arc Development: Centers on building persistent adventures.
• Setting Creation: Concentrates on the crafting of environments.
• Career Building: Designed for DMs who aim to explore more about the roleplaying business.

Every class includes two days of instruction divided across 48 hours.

“The classes are designed so that you walk away with tangible results, enhanced belief in your abilities, and numerous applicable methods,” Carl explained. “They’re not just lectures and they exceed pre-recorded material. These are sessions that you can join, learn from, and then return to your group the week after and implement in your home campaign.”

Expert Instructors

Many sessions are taught by two professors. Universe creation is guided by the founder of Monte Cook Games and a renowned campaign designer, together instructing the craft of setting creation.

Industry advancement features multiple instructors, such as Elisa Teague, a podcast co-host, and a pioneering DM. The additional faculty is intended to offer targeted guidance to attendees with particular aims.

“Various attendees aim to start their own live gameplay show and share their stories with the world, others plan to produce and create new material,” Carl stated. “Some just want to ask, What's the path to be a DM at something like a castle event? What are the skills that I need? Is this achievable?”

Advanced Options

A $1,500 gold tier includes access to a welcome reception, a welcome gift pack, and a 30-minute office hour appointment with a teacher. This represents the inaugural DMU session, though the organizers has previously run comparable workshops during breaks between campaigns at their castle events.

“It would be possible to organize an entire weekend just on one-on-one meetings for professional dungeon masters,” Carl mentioned. “It's unclear if that’s the optimal application of all participants' schedule – In my opinion the formal instruction and the practical exercises is too valuable – but I suspect it’s going to be one of the most popular parts of the program.”

The twenty-five hundred dollar top package includes an 60-minute private session and the chance to run a game for a small group plus one of the faculty members, who will then give comments and guidance.

“The goal is for the instructor to assess whichever aspect is concerned with: Hey I don’t do well with spontaneous decisions or I encounter obstacles in specific fight encounters. Could I demonstrate a scenario for you and receive input on what my strengths and weaknesses are?” Carl explained. “Perhaps they want to get feedback and advice on a particular setting that they’ve been developing.”

Coming Developments

Feedback from the first event will help shape upcoming academy workshops. Carl said that potential adjustments could include adding more office hours, extending the program to three days, or trying out alternative workshop formats.

“I hope that we host such events frequently,” Carl stated. “I would love to see numerous academy events in a calendar year, in various locations, and in different countries. The reception has been really terrific. We're quite pleased with current developments and I feel it would be wonderful to be able to organize these in collaboration with large gatherings.”