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

Beginning in 2018, a specialized event organizer has been organizing deeply engaging experiences where professional dungeon masters manage D&D games in ancient fortresses in the UK and at an American castle venue. The comprehensive packages are highly favored among long-time dungeon masters who infrequently find the moment to actually play themselves, and they often seek advice from experts on topics ranging from improv and crafting riddles to dealing with tough scenarios at the table.

In response, the organizers began designing a organized method to address these questions, which led to the founding of DMU. The first session is planned for the start of 2026 at an Atlanta campus.

“You can watch numerous digital guides on almost every theme and learn quite a lot, but the idea was that there’s just no substitute a live, hands-on session together with other dungeon masters, where there’s live engagement with faculty instructors and your fellow DMs who are probably in a similar position and also want to improve their skills,” explained the program's dean.

Available Classes and Cost Levels

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

• Foundational Skills: Teaches the essentials of leading a game.
• Long-Term Game Planning: Centers on building persistent adventures.
• Setting Creation: Emphasizes the development of worlds.
• Industry Advancement: Designed for dungeon masters who want to learn more about the tabletop profession.

All workshops includes multiple sessions of training divided across 48 hours.

“The courses are designed so that you walk away with tangible results, increased self-assurance, and numerous applicable methods,” Carl said. “They’re not just lectures and they exceed pre-recorded material. These classes that you can join, learn from, and then go right back home the next week and apply in your regular session.”

Expert Instructors

The majority of workshops are led 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 multiple instructors, such as Elisa Teague, an entertainment professional, and an early professional game master. The expanded teaching staff is intended to offer targeted guidance to participants with particular aims.

“Various attendees aim to start their own live gameplay show and share their stories with the world, several want to publish and write original content,” Carl explained. “Some just want to ask, How do I get to be a DM at something like a castle event? What capabilities that I need? Is it for everyone?”

Premium Packages

A $1,500 premium package includes access to a opening gathering, a starter kit, and a half-hour consultation appointment with an instructor. This represents the inaugural DMU session, though the team has previously run comparable workshops during breaks between adventures at their castle events.

“You could almost run an full two days just on office hours for expert DMs,” Carl mentioned. “It's unclear if that’s the best use of each attendee's hours – In my opinion the coursework and the practical exercises is too valuable – but I think it’s going to be one of the most popular parts of the program.”

The $2,500 platinum tier offers an 60-minute private session and the possibility to manage an adventure for five players plus one of the faculty members, who will then give comments and guidance.

“The aim is for the faculty member to review whichever aspect is interested in: I have difficulty with improv or I get blocked in specific fight encounters. May I present a scenario for you and receive input on where I excel and need improvement?” Carl explained. “Perhaps they want to get feedback and advice on a specific world that they’ve been developing.”

Future Plans

Input from the inaugural session will help determine future Dungeon Master University sessions. Carl suggested that likely modifications could include adding more office hours, lengthening the event to 72 hours, or experimenting with different seminar structures.

“I anticipate that we do this frequently,” Carl expressed. “I would love to see multiple Dungeon Master Universities in a single year, in different cities, and in different countries. The feedback has been really terrific. We’re very happy with the results so far and I believe it would be fantastic to be able to conduct this in conjunction with large gatherings.”