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

Beginning in 2018, a specialized event organizer has been hosting deeply engaging experiences where experienced game masters manage Dungeons & Dragons games in old manors in England and at a U.S. castle resort. These all-inclusive trips are especially popular among long-time dungeon masters who rarely get the moment to join in the game themselves, and they often ask for tips from experts on topics ranging from improv and creating challenges to managing conflicts at the table.

In response, the coordinators began designing a structured way to address these questions, which led to the creation of the Dungeon Master Academy. The first session is scheduled for early January 2026 at Oglethorpe University.

“You can watch numerous digital guides on virtually any subject and acquire valuable insights, but the idea was that there’s just no substitute an in-person experience together with peers in game mastering, where there’s live engagement with seasoned educators and your peers often in a similar position and also want to level up their game,” explained Jason Carl.

Available Classes and Ticket Packages

Game masters can select tiers ranging from just under $1,000 to two thousand five hundred dollars, depending on the level of access they desire with the professionals. The entry-level option includes one of four courses:

• Foundational Skills: Covers the basics of leading a game.
• Story Arc Development: Focuses around building persistent adventures.
• Setting Creation: Concentrates on the crafting of environments.
• Career Building: Tailored to DMs who seek to understand more about the tabletop profession.

Each course includes eight hours of instruction split over 48 hours.

“The workshops are designed so that you leave with immediate practical outcomes, enhanced belief in your abilities, and a lot of usable tools,” Carl noted. “It's more than presentations and they exceed pre-recorded material. These classes that you can attend, absorb insights from, and then head back to your table the next week and apply in your home campaign.”

Expert Instructors

The majority of workshops are instructed by a pair of experts. Worldbuilding is led by the founder of Monte Cook Games and the creator of Eberron, jointly leading the craft of setting creation.

Industry advancement presents multiple instructors, such as a puzzle design specialist, an entertainment professional, and Hunter Fell. The additional faculty is designed to provide specialized information to students with particular aims.

“Various attendees want to launch their own live gameplay show and share their stories with the world, others aim to release and create new material,” Carl explained. “Some just want to ask, What's the path to be a DM at a program like an immersive experience? What capabilities that I need? Can anyone do it?”

Advanced Options

A $1,500 premium package includes access to a opening gathering, a welcome gift pack, and a half-hour consultation appointment with a teacher. This marks the inaugural DMU session, though the company has previously run comparable workshops during breaks between campaigns at their immersive experiences.

“It would be possible to organize an complete event just on office hours for career game masters,” Carl mentioned. “It's unclear if that’s the optimal application of everybody’s time – I think the structured learning and the lab work is highly beneficial – but I believe it’s going to be one of the most popular parts of the program.”

The $2,500 platinum tier includes an 60-minute private session and the opportunity to manage an adventure for several participants plus a teacher, who will then give comments and coaching.

“The purpose is for the faculty member to evaluate any element is concerned with: I struggle with improvisation or I feel stuck in certain battle scenarios. Can I run a scenario for you and obtain advice on what my strengths and weaknesses are?” Carl said. “Perhaps they want to obtain critique and guidance on a particular setting that they’ve been building.”

Next Steps

Feedback from the first event will help shape subsequent DMU events. Carl mentioned that potential adjustments could include expanding one-on-one sessions, extending the program to three days, or testing alternative workshop formats.

“I expect that we do this very often,” Carl expressed. “I truly hope to see several DMU sessions in a single year, in different cities, and in different countries. The feedback has been really terrific. We're quite pleased with what we’re seeing and I feel it would be fantastic to be able to conduct this in conjunction with major events.”