Monte Cook and Keith Baker Are Instructing Sessions at Dungeon Master University

Since 2018, Tabletop Vacations has been organizing deeply engaging experiences where expert DMs lead fantasy roleplaying games in historic castles in England and at Landoll’s Mohican Castle. These all-inclusive trips are especially popular among forever DMs who infrequently find the chance to actually play themselves, and they often ask for tips from seasoned professionals on topics ranging from spontaneous storytelling and crafting riddles to dealing with tough scenarios at the table.

In response, the planners began designing a structured way to address these questions, which led to the creation of the Dungeon Master Academy. The first session is set for January 2-3, 2026 at an Atlanta campus.

“It's possible to view countless online tutorials on virtually any subject and gain significant knowledge, but the idea was that nothing truly replaces a live, hands-on session alongside peers in game mastering, where there’s live engagement with seasoned educators and your peers likely in the same boat and also want to improve their skills,” noted the program's dean.

Course Offerings and Pricing Tiers

Game masters can choose from options ranging from $995 to $2,500, according to the amount of contact they desire with the instructors. The base tier includes one of four courses:

• Core Techniques: Covers the essentials of managing a session.
• Campaign Building: Focuses around building persistent adventures.
• Universe Design: Emphasizes the crafting of environments.
• Career Building: Tailored to DMs who aim to explore more about the gaming industry.

Each course includes multiple sessions of classwork spread over 48 hours.

“The workshops are structured so that you walk away with usable skills, increased self-assurance, and many practical techniques,” Carl noted. “These aren't simple talks and they’re not just static videos. These are sessions that you can join, learn from, and then return to your group the next week and implement in your local game.”

Professional Teachers

The majority of workshops are instructed by a pair of experts. Setting design is guided by the founder of Monte Cook Games and Keith Baker, jointly leading the skill of universe design.

Professional development includes four different teachers, such as Elisa Teague, an entertainment professional, and an early professional game master. The expanded teaching staff is designed to deliver focused advice to participants with definite objectives.

“Various attendees plan to create their own D&D actual play and share their stories with the world, some of them plan to produce and write original content,” Carl stated. “Several only seek to ask, How do I get to be a DM at a program like D&D in a Castle? Which abilities that I need? Can anyone do it?”

Premium Packages

A fifteen hundred dollar premium package includes access to a introductory event, a welcome gift pack, and a 30-minute office hour appointment with one of the faculty. This marks the inaugural DMU session, though the team has previously run Castle Days during breaks between adventures at their castle events.

“One could practically host an complete event just on one-on-one meetings for career game masters,” Carl observed. “I don’t know if that’s the most effective utilization of all participants' schedule – I believe the structured learning and the practical exercises is extremely important – but I think it’s going to be among the most sought-after parts of the program.”

The $2.5K top package provides an extended personal consultation and the possibility to manage an adventure for several participants plus a teacher, who will then offer feedback and coaching.

“The purpose is for the faculty member to review any element is focused on: I struggle with improv or I feel stuck in specific fight encounters. Can I run a scenario for you and get feedback on where I excel and need improvement?” Carl explained. “Alternatively they want to get feedback and guidance on a definite universe that they’ve been creating.”

Next Steps

Responses from the debut workshop will help shape future Dungeon Master University sessions. Carl suggested that potential adjustments could include adding more office hours, lengthening the event to three days, or experimenting with varied class arrangements.

“I anticipate that we do this regularly,” Carl said. “I truly hope to see numerous academy events in a given year, in different cities, and in multiple countries. The response has been really terrific. We're extremely satisfied with the results so far and I think it would be wonderful to be able to organize these in conjunction with major events.”