Keith Baker and Monte Cook Will Lead Workshops at DMU
Since 2018, Tabletop Vacations has been hosting deeply engaging experiences where professional dungeon masters run Dungeons & Dragons games in historic castles in England and at a U.S. castle resort. The comprehensive packages are especially popular among career game masters who infrequently find the opportunity to actually play themselves, and they often ask for tips from experts on topics ranging from spontaneous storytelling and crafting riddles to handling difficult situations at the table.
In response, the organizers began developing a organized method to tackle these topics, which led to the founding of DMU. The inaugural event is scheduled for early January 2026 at Oglethorpe University.
“There are countless online tutorials on virtually any subject and acquire valuable insights, but the philosophy was that nothing compares to face-to-face interaction in the company of peers in game mastering, where real-time interaction with seasoned educators and your peers often in the same boat and also want to improve their skills,” explained the program's dean.
Available Classes and Cost Levels
Game masters can choose from tiers ranging from $995 to $2.5K, depending on the level of access they desire with the experts. The starting package includes one of four courses:
- Foundational Skills: Teaches the fundamentals of managing a session.
- Campaign Building: Is dedicated to crafting long-running games.
- Worldbuilding: Highlights the crafting of environments.
- Industry Advancement: Tailored to game masters who aim to explore more about the gaming industry.
Each course includes multiple sessions of training spread over a weekend.
“The classes are designed so that you leave with usable skills, probably greater confidence, and many practical techniques,” Carl noted. “They’re not just lectures and they’re not just static videos. These classes that you can participate in, learn from, and then head back to your table the following week and apply in your local game.”
Professional Teachers
The majority of workshops are instructed by a pair of experts. Worldbuilding is led by Monte Cook and Keith Baker, jointly leading the skill of universe design.
Industry advancement presents multiple instructors, such as an author on gaming puzzles, an entertainment professional, and a pioneering DM. The expanded teaching staff is meant to offer targeted guidance to attendees with particular aims.
“Certain participants aim to start their own live gameplay show and share their stories with the world, several aim to release and write original content,” Carl said. “Others simply wish to ask, How do I get to be a DM at a program like D&D in a Castle? What capabilities that I need? Can anyone do it?”
Higher Tiers
A $1.5K premium package includes access to a opening gathering, a welcome gift pack, and a 30-minute office hour appointment with a teacher. This constitutes the first Dungeon Master Academy, though the company has previously run comparable workshops during breaks between adventures at their premium gatherings.
“It would be possible to organize an complete event just on office hours for expert DMs,” Carl said. “I'm not certain if that’s the optimal application of all participants' schedule – I think the coursework and the hands-on activities is highly beneficial – but I believe it’s going to be a highly favored parts of the program.”
The twenty-five hundred dollar platinum tier provides an extended personal consultation and the possibility to run a game for a small group plus an instructor, who will then offer feedback and guidance.
“The purpose is for the faculty member to review whichever aspect is interested in: I struggle with improv or I encounter obstacles in certain battle scenarios. May I present a scene for you and receive input on what my strengths and weaknesses are?” Carl explained. “Alternatively they want to get feedback and information on a particular setting that they’ve been creating.”
Future Plans
Feedback from the inaugural session will help determine future Dungeon Master University sessions. Carl suggested that possible changes could include increasing consultation time, lengthening the event to three days, or trying out different seminar structures.
“I anticipate that we do this very often,” Carl stated. “I truly hope to see multiple Dungeon Master Universities in a single year, in different cities, and in various nations. The response has been overwhelmingly favorable. We’re very happy with what we’re seeing and I feel it would be wonderful to be able to organize these in partnership with big conventions.”
