🔗 Share this article Keith Baker along with Monte Cook Are Instructing Workshops at Dungeon Master Academy Since 2018, Tabletop Vacations has been organizing deeply engaging experiences where professional dungeon masters manage fantasy roleplaying games in historic castles in England and at an American castle venue. These all-inclusive trips are especially popular among long-time dungeon masters who infrequently find the chance to actually play themselves, and they often look for guidance from seasoned professionals on topics ranging from spontaneous storytelling and crafting riddles to managing conflicts at the table. In response, the coordinators began crafting a systematic approach to address these questions, which led to the creation of DMU. The debut workshop is scheduled for the start of 2026 at a university in Atlanta. “It's possible to view countless online tutorials on any topic and learn quite a lot, but the idea was that nothing compares to a live, hands-on session in the company of other dungeon masters, where real-time interaction with expert teachers and your peers often in the same boat and also want to improve their skills,” stated the program's dean. Available Classes and Cost Levels Game masters can choose from options ranging from $995 to $2.5K, according to the level of access they desire with the instructors. The starting package includes one of four courses: Foundational Skills: Focuses on the basics of managing a session. Story Arc Development: Centers on building persistent adventures. Worldbuilding: Highlights the art of setting design. Industry Advancement: Designed for DMs who seek to understand more about the tabletop profession. Each course includes multiple sessions of training divided across two days. “The classes are designed so that you walk away with tangible results, increased self-assurance, and a lot of usable tools,” Carl noted. “They’re not just lectures and they go beyond recorded content. These classes that you can attend, gain knowledge from, and then head back to your table the next week and implement in your local game.” Seasoned Educators Most classes are taught by duo of instructors. Universe creation is guided by the founder of Monte Cook Games and Keith Baker, together instructing the art of worldbuilding. Professional development features four different teachers, such as Elisa Teague, Clint McElroy, and an early professional game master. The additional faculty is intended to deliver focused advice to students with specific goals. “Various attendees want to launch their own D&D actual play and present their narratives with the world, some of them plan to produce and write original content,” Carl explained. “Some just want to ask, What does it take to be a DM at an event like D&D in a Castle? Which abilities that I need? Is this achievable?” Premium Packages A $1.5K gold tier offers access to a opening gathering, a starter kit, and a half-hour consultation appointment with one of the faculty. This marks the debut of the program, though the organizers has previously run Castle Days during breaks between game sessions at their castle events. “It would be possible to organize an entire weekend just on office hours for professional dungeon masters,” Carl said. “I don’t know if that’s the most effective utilization of everybody’s time – In my opinion the structured learning and the lab work is too valuable – but I think it’s going to be a highly favored parts of the program.” The $2.5K platinum tier includes an 60-minute private session and the chance to lead a session for a small group plus one of the faculty members, who will then give comments and guidance. “The purpose is for the teacher to assess any element is concerned with: I struggle with spontaneous decisions or I feel stuck in certain battle scenarios. May I present a situation for you and receive input on where I excel and need improvement?” Carl said. “Perhaps they want to get feedback and guidance on a definite universe that they’ve been building.” Coming Developments Responses from the first event will help shape subsequent DMU events. Carl suggested that potential adjustments could include adding more office hours, lengthening the event to three days, or experimenting with different seminar structures. “I anticipate that we host such events frequently,” Carl stated. “I really want to see several DMU sessions in a single year, in multiple places, and in multiple countries. The reception has been overwhelmingly favorable. We're extremely satisfied with the results so far and I feel it would be fantastic to be able to organize these in conjunction with big conventions.”
Since 2018, Tabletop Vacations has been organizing deeply engaging experiences where professional dungeon masters manage fantasy roleplaying games in historic castles in England and at an American castle venue. These all-inclusive trips are especially popular among long-time dungeon masters who infrequently find the chance to actually play themselves, and they often look for guidance from seasoned professionals on topics ranging from spontaneous storytelling and crafting riddles to managing conflicts at the table. In response, the coordinators began crafting a systematic approach to address these questions, which led to the creation of DMU. The debut workshop is scheduled for the start of 2026 at a university in Atlanta. “It's possible to view countless online tutorials on any topic and learn quite a lot, but the idea was that nothing compares to a live, hands-on session in the company of other dungeon masters, where real-time interaction with expert teachers and your peers often in the same boat and also want to improve their skills,” stated the program's dean. Available Classes and Cost Levels Game masters can choose from options ranging from $995 to $2.5K, according to the level of access they desire with the instructors. The starting package includes one of four courses: Foundational Skills: Focuses on the basics of managing a session. Story Arc Development: Centers on building persistent adventures. Worldbuilding: Highlights the art of setting design. Industry Advancement: Designed for DMs who seek to understand more about the tabletop profession. Each course includes multiple sessions of training divided across two days. “The classes are designed so that you walk away with tangible results, increased self-assurance, and a lot of usable tools,” Carl noted. “They’re not just lectures and they go beyond recorded content. These classes that you can attend, gain knowledge from, and then head back to your table the next week and implement in your local game.” Seasoned Educators Most classes are taught by duo of instructors. Universe creation is guided by the founder of Monte Cook Games and Keith Baker, together instructing the art of worldbuilding. Professional development features four different teachers, such as Elisa Teague, Clint McElroy, and an early professional game master. The additional faculty is intended to deliver focused advice to students with specific goals. “Various attendees want to launch their own D&D actual play and present their narratives with the world, some of them plan to produce and write original content,” Carl explained. “Some just want to ask, What does it take to be a DM at an event like D&D in a Castle? Which abilities that I need? Is this achievable?” Premium Packages A $1.5K gold tier offers access to a opening gathering, a starter kit, and a half-hour consultation appointment with one of the faculty. This marks the debut of the program, though the organizers has previously run Castle Days during breaks between game sessions at their castle events. “It would be possible to organize an entire weekend just on office hours for professional dungeon masters,” Carl said. “I don’t know if that’s the most effective utilization of everybody’s time – In my opinion the structured learning and the lab work is too valuable – but I think it’s going to be a highly favored parts of the program.” The $2.5K platinum tier includes an 60-minute private session and the chance to lead a session for a small group plus one of the faculty members, who will then give comments and guidance. “The purpose is for the teacher to assess any element is concerned with: I struggle with spontaneous decisions or I feel stuck in certain battle scenarios. May I present a situation for you and receive input on where I excel and need improvement?” Carl said. “Perhaps they want to get feedback and guidance on a definite universe that they’ve been building.” Coming Developments Responses from the first event will help shape subsequent DMU events. Carl suggested that potential adjustments could include adding more office hours, lengthening the event to three days, or experimenting with different seminar structures. “I anticipate that we host such events frequently,” Carl stated. “I really want to see several DMU sessions in a single year, in multiple places, and in multiple countries. The reception has been overwhelmingly favorable. We're extremely satisfied with the results so far and I feel it would be fantastic to be able to organize these in conjunction with big conventions.”