Keith Baker along with Monte Cook Are Teaching Sessions at Dungeon Master Academy

Since 2018, a specialized event organizer has been running immersive events where expert DMs manage D&D games in ancient fortresses in the UK and at Landoll’s Mohican Castle. These all-inclusive trips are highly favored among career game masters who seldom have 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 dealing with tough scenarios at the table.

In response, the planners began developing a structured way to address these questions, which led to the creation of DMU. The inaugural event is set for the start of 2026 at a university in Atlanta.

“There are numerous digital guides on any topic and learn quite a lot, but the concept was that nothing truly replaces an in-person experience in the company of other dungeon masters, where there’s live engagement with faculty instructors and your peers who are probably in the same boat and also want to level up their game,” stated Jason Carl.

Available Classes and Pricing Tiers

DMs can opt for tiers ranging from $995 to $2,500, according to the level of access they desire with the professionals. The starting package includes a choice of four workshops:

• Foundational Skills: Focuses on the basics of running D&D.
• Campaign Building: Is dedicated to crafting long-running games.
• Setting Creation: Emphasizes the art of setting design.
• Professional Development: Tailored to DMs who seek to understand more about the tabletop profession.

Each course includes eight hours of training spread over two days.

“The classes are designed so that you walk away with immediate practical outcomes, probably greater confidence, and many practical techniques,” Carl said. “It's more than presentations and they go beyond recorded content. These classes that you can participate in, absorb insights from, and then head back to your table the next week and apply in your regular session.”

Professional Teachers

Most classes are led by duo of instructors. Worldbuilding is taught by an industry veteran and Keith Baker, jointly leading the art of worldbuilding.

Professional development includes four different teachers, such as Elisa Teague, Clint McElroy, and a pioneering DM. The extra instructors is intended to deliver focused advice to participants with definite objectives.

“Various attendees want to launch their own real-play series and display their adventures with the world, several aim to release and develop fresh ideas,” Carl said. “Several only seek to ask, What's the path to be a DM at an event like D&D in a Castle? What are the skills that I need? Is this achievable?”

Advanced Options

A $1.5K enhanced option provides access to a introductory event, a welcome gift pack, and a brief one-on-one appointment with an instructor. This constitutes the inaugural DMU session, though the team has previously run similar events during breaks between adventures at their premium gatherings.

“You could almost run an complete event just on office hours for professional dungeon masters,” Carl mentioned. “I'm not certain if that’s the most effective utilization of all participants' schedule – I believe the formal instruction and the practical exercises is highly beneficial – but I believe it’s going to be a highly favored parts of the program.”

The twenty-five hundred dollar platinum tier offers an extended personal consultation and the chance to lead a session for several participants plus a teacher, who will then offer feedback and guidance.

“The goal is for the teacher to review whatever the DM is concerned with: I have difficulty with spontaneous decisions or I get blocked in this kind of combat situation. Could I demonstrate a situation for you and receive input on my areas of proficiency and challenge?” Carl said. “Or maybe they want to obtain critique and advice on a definite universe that they’ve been developing.”

Next Steps

Feedback from the inaugural session will help shape subsequent DMU events. Carl said that potential adjustments could include increasing consultation time, extending the program to three days, or trying out varied class arrangements.

“I anticipate that we conduct these very often,” Carl said. “I would love to see several DMU sessions in a calendar year, in various locations, and in various nations. The feedback has been extremely positive. We’re very happy with current developments and I think it would be amazing to be able to organize these in conjunction with big conventions.”