Keith Baker along with Monte Cook Are Instructing Workshops at Dungeon Master University

Beginning in 2018, a specialized event organizer has been organizing deeply engaging experiences where professional dungeon masters run D&D games in old manors in England and at a U.S. castle resort. The full-service getaways are widely appreciated among forever DMs who rarely get the chance to actually play themselves, and they often look for guidance from experts on topics ranging from improvisation and crafting riddles to handling difficult situations at the table.

In response, the coordinators began designing a organized method to answer these inquiries, which led to the establishment of the Dungeon Master Academy. The debut workshop is planned for early January 2026 at an Atlanta campus.

“You can watch countless online tutorials on virtually any subject and learn quite a lot, but the idea was that nothing compares to a live, hands-on session alongside fellow DMs, where real-time interaction with expert teachers and your fellow DMs who are probably in comparable situations and also want to level up their game,” noted the program's dean.

Available Classes and Cost Levels

DMs can select packages ranging from just under $1,000 to $2.5K, based on the degree of interaction they desire with the professionals. The base tier includes selection from four classes:

• Foundational Skills: Focuses on the essentials of managing a session.
• Long-Term Game Planning: Centers on building persistent adventures.
• Setting Creation: Emphasizes the development of worlds.
• Professional Development: Designed for DMs who seek to understand more about the tabletop profession.

All workshops includes two days of classwork split over a weekend.

“The courses are created so that you leave with usable skills, probably greater confidence, and numerous applicable methods,” Carl noted. “It's more than presentations and they go beyond recorded content. These workshops that you can join, absorb insights from, and then head back to your table the next week and implement in your local game.”

Seasoned Educators

Many sessions are taught by duo of instructors. Setting design is led by Monte Cook and a renowned campaign designer, together instructing the skill of universe design.

Career building presents multiple instructors, such as Elisa Teague, an entertainment professional, and Hunter Fell. The expanded teaching staff is meant to deliver focused advice to participants with specific goals.

“Various attendees want to launch their own real-play series and present their narratives with the world, some of them want to publish and create new material,” Carl explained. “Several only seek to ask, What does it take to be a DM at an event like D&D in a Castle? What are the skills that I need? Is it for everyone?”

Advanced Options

A $1,500 gold tier provides access to a opening gathering, a welcome gift pack, and a half-hour consultation appointment with an instructor. This represents the inaugural DMU session, though the organizers has previously run Castle Days during breaks between campaigns at their immersive experiences.

“One could practically host an complete event just on office hours for expert DMs,” Carl mentioned. “I don’t know if that’s the optimal application of each attendee's hours – I believe the coursework and the lab work is too valuable – but I think it’s going to be a highly favored parts of the program.”

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

“The aim is for the instructor to assess whatever the DM is concerned with: Hey I don’t do well with improvisation or I encounter obstacles in certain battle scenarios. May I present a scenario for you and receive input on my areas of proficiency and challenge?” Carl said. “Or maybe they want to obtain critique and advice on a particular setting that they’ve been creating.”

Future Plans

Responses from the first event will help guide upcoming academy workshops. Carl suggested that potential adjustments could include adding more office hours, lengthening the event to a longer period, or experimenting with varied class arrangements.

“I expect that we conduct these frequently,” Carl expressed. “I really want to see multiple Dungeon Master Universities in a given year, in multiple places, and in various nations. The feedback has been overwhelmingly favorable. We're quite pleased with what we’re seeing and I believe it would be wonderful to be able to do this in conjunction with big conventions.”