Keith Baker along with Keith Baker Are Teaching Classes at Dungeon Master Academy

Beginning in 2018, Tabletop Vacations has been running deeply engaging experiences where experienced game masters lead D&D games in old manors in Britain and at Landoll’s Mohican Castle. These all-inclusive trips are widely appreciated among career game masters who rarely get the opportunity to actually play themselves, and they often look for guidance from seasoned professionals on topics ranging from improv and crafting riddles to dealing with tough scenarios at the table.

In response, the organizers began crafting a structured way to answer these inquiries, which led to the founding of DMU. The debut workshop is scheduled for the start of 2026 at an Atlanta campus.

“You can watch countless online tutorials on any topic and acquire valuable insights, but the idea was that there’s just no substitute a live, hands-on session alongside other dungeon masters, where there’s live engagement with seasoned educators and your fellow DMs often in the same boat and aim to level up their game,” explained the program's dean.

Course Offerings and Pricing Tiers

Game masters can opt for tiers ranging from nearly a thousand dollars to $2.5K, based on the level of access they desire with the professionals. The starting package includes one of four courses:

• Skill Building: Focuses on the basics of leading a game.
• Long-Term Game Planning: Focuses around building persistent adventures.
• Setting Creation: Highlights the crafting of environments.
• Industry Advancement: Designed for dungeon masters who aim to explore more about the tabletop profession.

Each course includes two days of classwork divided across 48 hours.

“The classes are designed so that you depart having immediate practical outcomes, enhanced belief in your abilities, and a lot of usable tools,” Carl said. “It's more than presentations and they go beyond recorded content. These are sessions that you can participate in, gain knowledge from, and then head back to your table the following week and apply in your home campaign.”

Professional Teachers

Most classes are instructed by duo of instructors. Setting design is led by an industry veteran and a renowned campaign designer, both teaching the skill of universe design.

Career building presents four different teachers, such as a puzzle design specialist, a podcast co-host, and a pioneering DM. The expanded teaching staff is designed to offer targeted guidance to participants with particular aims.

“Some of them want to launch their own D&D actual play and display their adventures with the world, several aim to release and write original content,” Carl stated. “Others simply wish to ask, How do I get to be a DM at something like D&D in a Castle? What are the skills that I need? Is it for everyone?”

Premium Packages

A $1,500 enhanced option offers access to a welcome reception, a introductory package, and a brief one-on-one appointment with one of the faculty. This represents the debut of the program, though the organizers has previously run Castle Days during breaks between campaigns at their castle events.

“One could practically host an complete event just on one-on-one meetings for expert DMs,” Carl said. “I don’t know if that’s the best use of all participants' schedule – I believe the structured learning and the practical exercises is too valuable – but I suspect it’s going to be one of the most popular parts of the program.”

The $2,500 platinum tier provides an hour of one-on-one time and the possibility to run a game for several participants plus a teacher, who will then offer feedback and guidance.

“The purpose is for the instructor to review whatever the DM is interested in: I struggle with improv or I get blocked in specific fight encounters. Could I demonstrate a scenario for you and receive input on what my strengths and weaknesses are?” Carl detailed. “Or maybe they want to get feedback and information on a definite universe that they’ve been building.”

Coming Developments

Feedback from the inaugural session will help guide subsequent DMU events. Carl said that possible changes could include increasing consultation time, extending the program to 72 hours, or testing alternative workshop formats.

“I anticipate that we conduct these very often,” Carl stated. “I would love to see numerous academy events in a given year, in various locations, and in various nations. The response has been really terrific. We're extremely satisfied with the results so far and I feel it would be amazing to be able to conduct this in conjunction with big conventions.”