Monte Cook and Keith Baker Are Teaching Workshops at DMU

Since 2018, Tabletop Vacations has been running immersive events where experienced game masters lead D&D games in historic castles in Britain and at an American castle venue. These all-inclusive trips are highly favored among career game masters who rarely get the moment to participate as players themselves, and they often look for guidance from seasoned professionals on topics ranging from improvisation and crafting riddles to managing conflicts at the table.

In response, the coordinators began crafting a systematic approach to tackle these topics, which led to the founding of Dungeon Master University. The debut workshop is set for early January 2026 at an Atlanta campus.

“It's possible to view thousands of YouTube videos on almost every theme and learn quite a lot, but the philosophy was that nothing compares to a live, hands-on session together with fellow DMs, where real-time interaction with seasoned educators and your peers often in a similar position and also want to level up their game,” explained the program's dean.

Available Classes and Pricing Tiers

Game masters can choose from packages ranging from just under $1,000 to $2,500, based on the amount of contact they desire with the experts. The entry-level option includes selection from four classes:

• Core Techniques: Teaches the basics of managing a session.
• Story Arc Development: Focuses around designing extended campaigns.
• Setting Creation: Concentrates on the crafting of environments.
• Professional Development: Tailored to dungeon masters who aim to explore more about the gaming industry.

All workshops includes eight hours of classwork divided across 48 hours.

“The courses are designed so that you walk away with immediate practical outcomes, enhanced belief in your abilities, and a lot of usable tools,” Carl said. “They’re not just lectures and they exceed pre-recorded material. These workshops that you can join, learn from, and then head back to your table the week after and put into practice in your regular session.”

Professional Teachers

Most classes are taught by duo of instructors. Setting design is led by Monte Cook and a renowned campaign designer, both teaching the craft of setting creation.

Industry advancement features multiple instructors, such as an author on gaming puzzles, an entertainment professional, and an early professional game master. The additional faculty is intended to deliver focused advice to attendees with particular aims.

“Certain participants want to launch their own D&D actual play and display their adventures with the world, some of them plan to produce and write original content,” Carl stated. “Others simply wish to ask, What's the path to be a DM at an event like D&D in a Castle? Which abilities that I need? Can anyone do it?”

Premium Packages

A $1,500 premium package provides access to a welcome reception, a introductory package, and a brief one-on-one appointment with one of the faculty. This marks the first Dungeon Master Academy, though the team has previously run Castle Days during breaks between adventures at their premium gatherings.

“One could practically host an entire weekend just on office hours for career game masters,” Carl observed. “I'm not certain if that’s the optimal application of everybody’s time – In my opinion the coursework and the lab work is too valuable – but I think it’s going to be among the most sought-after parts of the program.”

The $2,500 platinum tier offers an 60-minute private session and the possibility to run a game for a small group plus an instructor, who will then give comments and instruction.

“The purpose is for the teacher to evaluate whichever aspect is interested in: I have difficulty with spontaneous decisions or I feel stuck in certain battle scenarios. May I present a scene for you and receive input on where I excel and need improvement?” Carl detailed. “Or maybe they want to obtain critique and advice on a particular setting that they’ve been building.”

Future Plans

Feedback from the debut workshop will help guide subsequent DMU events. Carl mentioned that potential adjustments could include expanding one-on-one sessions, making it longer to 72 hours, or trying out varied class arrangements.

“I hope that we do this regularly,” Carl said. “I really want to see numerous academy events in a calendar year, in different cities, and in various nations. The response has been extremely positive. We're quite pleased with the results so far and I believe it would be fantastic to be able to organize these in partnership with large gatherings.”