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

Beginning in 2018, Tabletop Vacations has been running immersive events where professional dungeon masters lead Dungeons & Dragons games in historic castles in Britain and at Landoll’s Mohican Castle. These all-inclusive trips are highly favored among long-time dungeon masters who infrequently find the moment to actually play themselves, and they often seek advice from experts on topics ranging from improv and puzzle design to handling difficult situations at the table.

In response, the planners began crafting a organized method to answer these inquiries, which led to the creation of DMU. The debut workshop is scheduled for January 2-3, 2026 at Oglethorpe University.

“You can watch thousands of YouTube videos on any topic and acquire valuable insights, but the idea was that nothing compares to an in-person experience together with peers in game mastering, where there’s live engagement with seasoned educators and other game masters who are probably in the same boat and seek to enhance their abilities,” explained Jason Carl.

Available Classes and Cost Levels

Game masters can select tiers ranging from $995 to $2,500, depending on the amount of contact they desire with the experts. The base tier includes a choice of four workshops:

• Skill Building: Focuses on the fundamentals of leading a game.
• Campaign Building: Is dedicated to crafting long-running games.
• Setting Creation: Highlights the art of setting design.
• Industry Advancement: Designed for game masters who want to learn more about the roleplaying business.

All workshops includes two days of training spread over 48 hours.

“The courses are created so that you depart having immediate practical outcomes, probably greater confidence, and numerous applicable methods,” Carl said. “They’re not just lectures and they’re not just static videos. These workshops that you can participate in, gain knowledge from, and then head back to your table the next week and apply in your regular session.”

Expert Instructors

The majority of workshops are instructed by a pair of experts. Setting design is led by Monte Cook and Keith Baker, both teaching the art of worldbuilding.

Industry advancement includes several experts, such as a puzzle design specialist, Clint McElroy, and Hunter Fell. The extra instructors is meant to deliver focused advice to participants with specific goals.

“Some of them plan to create their own real-play series and display their adventures with the world, others aim to release and develop fresh ideas,” Carl stated. “Some just want to ask, What does it take to be a DM at a program like a castle event? What capabilities that I need? Can anyone do it?”

Higher Tiers

A $1.5K premium package offers access to a opening gathering, a welcome gift pack, and a half-hour consultation appointment with one of the faculty. This constitutes the inaugural DMU session, though the organizers has previously run comparable workshops during breaks between game sessions at their premium gatherings.

“It would be possible to organize an entire weekend just on consultation sessions for career game masters,” Carl observed. “I don’t know if that’s the best use of each attendee's hours – I believe the formal instruction and the hands-on activities is highly beneficial – but I suspect it’s going to be one of the most popular parts of the program.”

The $2,500 premium option provides an 60-minute private session and the possibility to lead a session for a small group plus an instructor, who will then provide notes and instruction.

“The aim is for the teacher to assess whichever aspect is interested in: I have difficulty with improvisation or I feel stuck in certain battle scenarios. May I present a scenario for you and receive input on my areas of proficiency and challenge?” Carl said. “Perhaps they want to get feedback and guidance on a particular setting that they’ve been creating.”

Coming Developments

Input from the inaugural session will help guide subsequent DMU events. Carl suggested that possible changes could include adding more office hours, lengthening the event to a longer period, or trying out varied class arrangements.

“I hope that we conduct these frequently,” Carl expressed. “I really want to see several DMU sessions in a given year, in various locations, and in different countries. The reception has been extremely positive. We're extremely satisfied with current developments and I think it would be amazing to be able to organize these in collaboration with big conventions.”