Keith Baker along with Keith Baker Will Lead Workshops at DMU
Beginning in 2018, a specialized event organizer has been hosting immersive events where professional dungeon masters manage fantasy roleplaying games in old manors in England and at Landoll’s Mohican Castle. The comprehensive packages are highly favored among career game masters who seldom have the opportunity to join in the game themselves, and they often look for guidance from experts on topics ranging from improvisation and crafting riddles to dealing with tough scenarios at the table.
In response, the coordinators began developing a systematic approach to answer these inquiries, which led to the establishment of DMU. The first session is planned for January 2-3, 2026 at a university in Atlanta.
“There are numerous digital guides on almost every theme and gain significant knowledge, but the idea was that there’s just no substitute a live, hands-on session together with other dungeon masters, where direct communication with expert teachers and other game masters likely in the same boat and also want to improve their skills,” explained the dean of Dungeon Master University.
Available Classes and Ticket Packages
DMs can opt for tiers ranging from nearly a thousand dollars to two thousand five hundred dollars, based on the amount of contact they desire with the instructors. The base tier includes one of four courses:
- Skill Building: Teaches the fundamentals of running D&D.
- Campaign Building: Centers on building persistent adventures.
- Worldbuilding: Concentrates on the art of setting design.
- Career Building: Designed for dungeon masters who seek to understand more about the tabletop profession.
Each course includes two days of classwork spread over two days.
“The classes are structured so that you leave with immediate practical outcomes, enhanced belief in your abilities, and numerous applicable methods,” Carl explained. “They’re not just lectures and they go beyond recorded content. These are sessions that you can participate in, gain knowledge from, and then return to your group the next week and put into practice in your local game.”
Professional Teachers
The majority of workshops are instructed by two professors. Worldbuilding is taught by Monte Cook and a renowned campaign designer, jointly leading the art of worldbuilding.
Professional development presents multiple instructors, such as Elisa Teague, an entertainment professional, and a pioneering DM. The extra instructors is intended to offer targeted guidance to students with particular aims.
“Various attendees aim to start their own live gameplay show and display their adventures with the world, some of them plan to produce and write original content,” Carl stated. “Others simply wish to ask, How do I get 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 fifteen hundred dollar enhanced option provides access to a introductory event, a starter kit, and a half-hour consultation appointment with an instructor. This represents the first Dungeon Master Academy, though the organizers has previously run similar events during breaks between adventures at their premium gatherings.
“It would be possible to organize an full two days just on office hours for expert DMs,” Carl mentioned. “I'm not certain if that’s the best use of all participants' schedule – I believe 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 $2.5K platinum tier includes an hour of one-on-one time and the chance to manage an adventure for five players plus an instructor, who will then provide notes and instruction.
“The aim is for the instructor to review whatever the DM is concerned with: Hey I don’t do well with spontaneous decisions or I get blocked in certain battle scenarios. Can I run a scene for you and receive input on what my strengths and weaknesses are?” Carl said. “Or maybe they want to receive input and advice on a particular setting that they’ve been building.”
Future Plans
Feedback from the debut workshop will help shape upcoming academy workshops. Carl suggested that potential adjustments could include adding more office hours, extending the program to a longer period, or testing different seminar structures.
“I hope that we host such events frequently,” Carl stated. “I truly hope to see numerous academy events in a single year, in multiple places, and in multiple countries. The feedback has been really terrific. We're quite pleased with the results so far and I think it would be fantastic to be able to conduct this in partnership with big conventions.”