Keith Baker and Keith Baker Will Lead Classes at DMU
Beginning in 2018, Tabletop Vacations has been organizing deeply engaging experiences where experienced game masters lead Dungeons & Dragons games in historic castles in Britain and at an American castle venue. The full-service getaways are especially popular among forever DMs who seldom have the moment to actually play themselves, and they often seek advice from seasoned professionals on topics ranging from spontaneous storytelling and puzzle design to handling difficult situations at the table.
In response, the planners began crafting a structured way to tackle these topics, which led to the establishment of Dungeon Master University. The inaugural event is set for January 2-3, 2026 at an Atlanta campus.
“You can watch countless online tutorials on any topic and acquire valuable insights, but the idea was that there’s just no substitute an in-person experience alongside peers in game mastering, where real-time interaction with faculty instructors and your fellow DMs who are probably in the same boat and also want to level up their game,” stated the program's dean.
Available Classes and Pricing Tiers
DMs can opt for packages ranging from $995 to two thousand five hundred dollars, based on the level of access they desire with the experts. The starting package includes selection from four classes:
- Foundational Skills: Focuses on the fundamentals of managing a session.
- Story Arc Development: Is dedicated to crafting long-running games.
- Universe Design: Concentrates on the crafting of environments.
- Industry Advancement: Tailored to dungeon masters who aim to explore more about the gaming industry.
Each course includes eight hours of instruction divided across a weekend.
“The classes are created so that you depart having immediate practical outcomes, enhanced belief in your abilities, and many practical techniques,” Carl noted. “They’re not just lectures and they go beyond recorded content. These are sessions that you can attend, learn from, and then head back to your table the following week and apply in your regular session.”
Expert Instructors
The majority of workshops are instructed by a pair of experts. Setting design is taught by the founder of Monte Cook Games and Keith Baker, together instructing the skill of universe design.
Industry advancement features multiple instructors, such as Elisa Teague, a podcast co-host, and an early professional game master. The expanded teaching staff is intended to offer targeted guidance to attendees with definite objectives.
“Various attendees want to launch their own D&D actual play and share their stories with the world, others plan to produce and develop fresh ideas,” Carl explained. “Others simply wish to ask, How do I get to be a DM at a program like D&D in a Castle? Which abilities that I need? Is this achievable?”
Higher Tiers
A fifteen hundred dollar gold tier provides access to a opening gathering, a starter kit, and a 30-minute office hour appointment with a teacher. This constitutes the debut of the program, though the team has previously run comparable workshops during breaks between campaigns at their immersive experiences.
“It would be possible to organize an complete event just on consultation sessions for career game masters,” Carl observed. “I don’t know if that’s the most effective utilization of all participants' schedule – In my opinion the structured learning and the practical exercises is highly beneficial – but I believe it’s going to be a highly favored parts of the program.”
The $2.5K top package provides an extended personal consultation and the possibility to lead a session for several participants plus one of the faculty members, who will then provide notes and instruction.
“The aim is for the instructor to assess whichever aspect is interested in: Hey I don’t do well with improvisation or I feel stuck in certain battle scenarios. Can I run a situation for you and receive input on what my strengths and weaknesses are?” Carl explained. “Or maybe they want to receive input and information on a definite universe that they’ve been creating.”
Coming Developments
Input from the debut workshop will help shape upcoming academy workshops. Carl suggested that likely modifications could include increasing consultation time, making it longer to 72 hours, or testing varied class arrangements.
“I expect that we conduct these regularly,” Carl said. “I truly hope to see numerous academy events in a calendar year, in multiple places, and in various nations. The reception has been extremely positive. We're quite pleased with the results so far and I feel it would be fantastic to be able to do this in conjunction with big conventions.”
