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

Since 2018, Tabletop Vacations has been organizing immersive events where professional dungeon masters run Dungeons & Dragons games in old manors in England and at Landoll’s Mohican Castle. The comprehensive packages are especially popular among forever DMs who seldom have the moment to join in the game themselves, and they often look for guidance from the pros on topics ranging from improvisation and puzzle design to dealing with tough scenarios at the table.

In response, the planners began developing a structured way to answer these inquiries, which led to the creation of the Dungeon Master Academy. The debut workshop is planned for the start of 2026 at an Atlanta campus.

“You can watch thousands of YouTube videos on almost every theme and acquire valuable insights, but the idea was that there’s just no substitute an in-person experience in the company of peers in game mastering, where real-time interaction with seasoned educators and other game masters often in a similar position and also want to improve their skills,” noted the dean of Dungeon Master University.

Available Classes and Pricing Tiers

Game masters can select tiers ranging from just under $1,000 to $2,500, depending on the degree of interaction they desire with the instructors. The base tier includes selection from four classes:

• Foundational Skills: Teaches the essentials of leading a game.
• Long-Term Game Planning: Centers on crafting long-running games.
• Universe Design: Concentrates on the crafting of environments.
• Career Building: Designed for dungeon masters who want to learn more about the roleplaying business.

Each course includes two days of classwork spread over a weekend.

“The courses are structured so that you depart having tangible results, increased self-assurance, and many practical techniques,” Carl noted. “They’re not just lectures and they exceed pre-recorded material. These workshops that you can participate in, absorb insights from, and then head back to your table the following week and apply in your regular session.”

Professional Teachers

Many sessions are instructed by duo of instructors. Universe creation is taught by an industry veteran and the creator of Eberron, both teaching the skill of universe design.

Industry advancement includes several experts, such as Elisa Teague, an entertainment professional, and an early professional game master. The extra instructors is intended to deliver focused advice to participants with definite objectives.

“Various attendees plan to create their own live gameplay show and present their narratives with the world, several want to publish and develop fresh ideas,” Carl explained. “Several only seek to ask, What's the path to be a DM at a program like an immersive experience? Which abilities that I need? Can anyone do it?”

Premium Packages

A $1,500 premium package offers access to a opening gathering, a introductory package, and a brief one-on-one appointment with an instructor. This represents the debut of the program, though the team has previously run Castle Days during breaks between game sessions at their castle events.

“You could almost run an entire weekend just on consultation sessions for expert DMs,” Carl said. “It's unclear if that’s the optimal application of everybody’s time – I think the formal instruction and the lab work is highly beneficial – but I think it’s going to be a highly favored parts of the program.”

The $2,500 top package includes an hour of one-on-one time and the possibility to manage an adventure for five players plus an instructor, who will then give comments and guidance.

“The purpose is for the instructor to assess whatever the DM is interested in: Hey I don’t do well with improv or I feel stuck in certain battle scenarios. Can I run a situation for you and obtain advice on my areas of proficiency and challenge?” Carl said. “Or maybe they want to receive input and advice on a specific world that they’ve been developing.”

Coming Developments

Input from the first event will help shape upcoming academy workshops. Carl suggested that possible changes could include increasing consultation time, making it longer to 72 hours, or testing alternative workshop formats.

“I expect that we do this very often,” Carl expressed. “I really want to see multiple Dungeon Master Universities in a single year, in different cities, and in multiple countries. The response has been really terrific. We're extremely satisfied with what we’re seeing and I believe it would be amazing to be able to do this in conjunction with major events.”