Keith Baker and Keith Baker Will Lead Classes at DMU
Since 2018, Tabletop Vacations has been hosting immersive events where expert DMs run Dungeons & Dragons games in old manors in England and at a U.S. castle resort. The full-service getaways are widely appreciated among career game masters who infrequently find the opportunity to actually play themselves, and they often seek advice from seasoned professionals on topics ranging from improv and creating challenges to handling difficult situations at the table.
In response, the organizers began designing a systematic approach to address these questions, which led to the founding of the Dungeon Master Academy. The first session is planned for January 2-3, 2026 at an Atlanta campus.
“There are numerous digital guides on almost every theme and gain significant knowledge, but the concept was that nothing compares to face-to-face interaction together with fellow DMs, where direct communication with faculty instructors and your peers likely in a similar position and also want to level up their game,” stated the dean of Dungeon Master University.
Course Offerings and Pricing Tiers
Dungeon Masters can choose from packages ranging from just under $1,000 to $2,500, based on the level of access they desire with the instructors. The base tier includes one of four courses:
- Skill Building: Teaches the fundamentals of leading a game.
- Campaign Building: Centers on designing extended campaigns.
- Setting Creation: Concentrates on the development of worlds.
- Industry Advancement: Tailored to dungeon masters who aim to explore more about the roleplaying business.
Each course includes two days of training split over two days.
“The classes are designed so that you walk away with usable skills, probably greater confidence, and many practical techniques,” Carl explained. “They’re not just lectures and they’re not just static videos. These workshops that you can join, absorb insights from, and then return to your group the week after and apply in your local game.”
Professional Teachers
The majority of workshops are taught by two professors. Universe creation is guided by the founder of Monte Cook Games and Keith Baker, together instructing the art of worldbuilding.
Professional development presents four different teachers, such as an author on gaming puzzles, a podcast co-host, and an early professional game master. The extra instructors is designed to deliver focused advice to participants with particular aims.
“Certain participants want to launch their own D&D actual play and share their stories 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 a program like a castle event? What capabilities that I need? Is this achievable?”
Advanced Options
A $1.5K premium package provides access to a welcome reception, a welcome gift pack, and a half-hour consultation appointment with an instructor. This constitutes the debut of the program, though the organizers has previously run similar events during breaks between campaigns at their castle events.
“One could practically host an entire weekend just on one-on-one meetings for career game masters,” Carl observed. “I don’t know if that’s the most effective utilization of each attendee's hours – I believe the coursework and the practical exercises is highly beneficial – but I believe it’s going to be one of the most popular parts of the program.”
The twenty-five hundred dollar top package offers an 60-minute private session and the opportunity to run a game for several participants plus a teacher, who will then provide notes and coaching.
“The aim is for the teacher to assess whatever the DM is interested in: Hey I don’t do well with spontaneous decisions or I encounter obstacles in certain battle scenarios. Could I demonstrate a scenario for you and receive input on my areas of proficiency and challenge?” Carl said. “Perhaps they want to receive input and advice on a specific world that they’ve been creating.”
Future Plans
Feedback from the first event will help shape subsequent DMU events. Carl mentioned that possible changes could include increasing consultation time, extending the program to a longer period, or experimenting with varied class arrangements.
“I expect that we conduct these very often,” Carl said. “I would love to see numerous academy events in a single year, in different cities, and in different countries. The response has been overwhelmingly favorable. We're extremely satisfied with the results so far and I think it would be wonderful to be able to conduct this in conjunction with major events.”