Keith Baker along with Keith Baker Are Instructing Sessions at Dungeon Master Academy

Since 2018, Tabletop Vacations has been organizing immersive events where experienced game masters run Dungeons & Dragons games in old manors in the UK and at Landoll’s Mohican Castle. The comprehensive packages are widely appreciated among forever DMs who seldom have the chance to join in the game themselves, and they often ask for tips from the pros on topics ranging from spontaneous storytelling and puzzle design to handling difficult situations at the table.

In response, the coordinators began crafting a organized method to address these questions, which led to the founding of DMU. The debut workshop is planned for early January 2026 at a university in Atlanta.

“There are thousands of YouTube videos on almost every theme and learn quite a lot, but the philosophy was that nothing compares to face-to-face interaction together with peers in game mastering, where real-time interaction with faculty instructors and your peers who are probably in a similar position and seek to level up their game,” noted the dean of Dungeon Master University.

Workshop Options and Pricing Tiers

Dungeon Masters can choose from options ranging from $995 to two thousand five hundred dollars, based on the level of access they desire with the experts. The entry-level option includes one of four courses:

• Skill Building: Teaches the essentials of running D&D.
• Campaign Building: Is dedicated to crafting long-running games.
• Universe Design: Highlights the art of setting design.
• Professional Development: Tailored to game masters who aim to explore more about the gaming industry.

All workshops includes multiple sessions of classwork divided across two days.

“The workshops are created so that you depart having immediate practical outcomes, probably greater confidence, and numerous applicable methods,” Carl noted. “They’re not just lectures and they go beyond recorded content. These are sessions that you can participate in, absorb insights from, and then head back to your table the following week and put into practice in your local game.”

Expert Instructors

Most classes are instructed by a pair of experts. Worldbuilding is guided by an industry veteran and Keith Baker, jointly leading the art of worldbuilding.

Industry advancement features several experts, such as Elisa Teague, an entertainment professional, and Hunter Fell. The expanded teaching staff is designed to offer targeted guidance to attendees with specific goals.

“Various attendees aim to start their own D&D actual play and display their adventures with the world, others plan to produce and write original content,” 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 capabilities that I need? Is it for everyone?”

Premium Packages

A $1.5K premium package includes access to a welcome reception, a welcome gift pack, and a 30-minute office hour appointment with an instructor. This constitutes the debut of the program, though the team has previously run Castle Days during breaks between campaigns at their premium gatherings.

“One could practically host an full two days just on office hours for career game masters,” Carl mentioned. “I don’t know if that’s the optimal application of each attendee's hours – I believe the formal instruction and the practical exercises is extremely important – but I believe it’s going to be one of the most popular parts of the program.”

The twenty-five hundred dollar premium option includes an extended personal consultation and the possibility to lead a session for a small group plus an instructor, who will then offer feedback and instruction.

“The purpose is for the teacher to review whichever aspect is focused on: I struggle with spontaneous decisions or I get blocked in certain battle scenarios. May I present a scene for you and get feedback on my areas of proficiency and challenge?” Carl said. “Alternatively they want to get feedback and advice on a specific world that they’ve been building.”

Next Steps

Responses from the debut workshop will help guide subsequent DMU events. Carl mentioned that possible changes could include adding more office hours, making it longer to three days, or testing different seminar structures.

“I anticipate that we host such events very often,” Carl said. “I would love to see multiple Dungeon Master Universities in a single year, in various locations, and in various nations. The response has been overwhelmingly favorable. We're quite pleased with the results so far and I feel it would be wonderful to be able to do this in collaboration with big conventions.”