Keith Baker along with Keith Baker Are Teaching Sessions at DMU
Since 2018, Tabletop Vacations has been running immersive events where professional dungeon masters lead Dungeons & Dragons games in old manors in the UK and at a U.S. castle resort. The full-service getaways are especially popular among long-time dungeon masters who infrequently find the moment to participate as players themselves, and they often seek advice from the pros on topics ranging from spontaneous storytelling and crafting riddles to managing conflicts at the table.
In response, the coordinators began designing a structured way to tackle these topics, which led to the establishment of the Dungeon Master Academy. The inaugural event is scheduled for early January 2026 at a university in Atlanta.
“It's possible to view thousands of YouTube videos on virtually any subject and acquire valuable insights, but the philosophy was that there’s just no substitute face-to-face interaction in the company of peers in game mastering, where there’s live engagement with faculty instructors and your peers likely in the same boat and aim to level up their game,” noted the dean of Dungeon Master University.
Available Classes and Pricing Tiers
Dungeon Masters can choose from tiers ranging from just under $1,000 to $2.5K, based on the level of access they desire with the professionals. The base tier includes a choice of four workshops:
- Skill Building: Focuses on the essentials of leading a game.
- Story Arc Development: Is dedicated to designing extended campaigns.
- Setting Creation: Highlights the art of setting design.
- Industry Advancement: Tailored to DMs who seek to understand more about the roleplaying business.
Each course includes eight hours of instruction divided across two days.
“The courses are structured so that you walk away with immediate practical outcomes, increased self-assurance, and a lot of usable tools,” Carl explained. “It's more than presentations and they’re not just static videos. These workshops that you can attend, gain knowledge from, and then return to your group the following week and apply in your regular session.”
Expert Instructors
Most classes are instructed by duo of instructors. Setting design is guided by the founder of Monte Cook Games and the creator of Eberron, jointly leading the craft of setting creation.
Industry advancement includes four different teachers, such as an author on gaming puzzles, an entertainment professional, and an early professional game master. The expanded teaching staff is designed to provide specialized information to attendees with particular aims.
“Various attendees want to launch their own real-play series and display their adventures with the world, some of them want to publish and write original content,” Carl explained. “Others simply wish to ask, What does it take to be a DM at something like D&D in a Castle? Which abilities that I need? Is this achievable?”
Premium Packages
A $1.5K enhanced option offers access to a welcome reception, a introductory package, and a 30-minute office hour appointment with a teacher. This marks the debut of the program, though the organizers has previously run Castle Days during breaks between campaigns at their immersive experiences.
“You could almost run an complete event just on office hours for expert DMs,” Carl said. “It's unclear if that’s the best use of all participants' schedule – I think the formal instruction and the lab work is extremely important – but I suspect it’s going to be a highly favored parts of the program.”
The $2,500 premium option offers an hour of one-on-one time and the opportunity to lead a session for a small group plus an instructor, who will then offer feedback and instruction.
“The goal is for the faculty member to evaluate whatever the DM is concerned with: I struggle with improv or I get blocked in this kind of combat situation. Can I run a situation for you and get feedback on what my strengths and weaknesses are?” Carl said. “Or maybe they want to receive input and advice on a specific world that they’ve been building.”
Future Plans
Feedback from the first event will help shape upcoming academy workshops. Carl suggested that possible changes could include adding more office hours, extending the program to 72 hours, or experimenting with different seminar structures.
“I hope that we conduct these frequently,” Carl expressed. “I would love to see numerous academy events in a given year, in various locations, and in different countries. The feedback has been extremely positive. We’re very happy with current developments and I think it would be amazing to be able to conduct this in conjunction with big conventions.”
