Keith Baker and Monte Cook Will Lead Workshops at Dungeon Master University
Beginning in 2018, Tabletop Vacations has been organizing deeply engaging experiences where expert DMs lead Dungeons & Dragons games in old manors in Britain and at a U.S. castle resort. The comprehensive packages are widely appreciated among forever DMs who infrequently find the moment to join in the game themselves, and they often ask for tips from seasoned professionals on topics ranging from improvisation and puzzle design to managing conflicts at the table.
In response, the organizers began developing a organized method to address these questions, which led to the creation of Dungeon Master University. The debut workshop is scheduled for the start of 2026 at Oglethorpe University.
“You can watch numerous digital guides on any topic and learn quite a lot, but the idea was that nothing compares to a live, hands-on session together with fellow DMs, where real-time interaction with seasoned educators and other game masters likely in the same boat and also want to level up their game,” stated the program's dean.
Course Offerings and Cost Levels
DMs can opt for options ranging from $995 to two thousand five hundred dollars, depending on the degree of interaction they desire with the professionals. The entry-level option includes a choice of four workshops:
- Skill Building: Teaches the fundamentals of managing a session.
- Long-Term Game Planning: Centers on crafting long-running games.
- Worldbuilding: Concentrates on the crafting of environments.
- Professional Development: Tailored to dungeon masters who seek to understand more about the gaming industry.
All workshops includes two days of classwork spread over a weekend.
“The classes are created so that you leave with usable skills, probably greater confidence, and a lot of usable tools,” Carl noted. “It's more than presentations and they exceed pre-recorded material. These are sessions that you can participate in, learn from, and then return to your group the following week and apply in your regular session.”
Expert Instructors
The majority of workshops are led by duo of instructors. Worldbuilding is taught by an industry veteran and Keith Baker, jointly leading the skill of universe design.
Professional development includes four different teachers, such as an author on gaming puzzles, a podcast co-host, and an early professional game master. The additional faculty is meant to offer targeted guidance to students with specific goals.
“Some of them plan to create their own live gameplay show and display their adventures with the world, others want to publish 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? Can anyone do it?”
Advanced Options
A $1.5K gold tier provides access to a introductory event, a welcome gift pack, and a half-hour consultation appointment with one of the faculty. This constitutes the debut of the program, though the organizers has previously run comparable workshops during breaks between adventures at their castle events.
“One could practically host an complete event just on one-on-one meetings for expert DMs,” Carl observed. “It's unclear if that’s the most effective utilization of each attendee's hours – I think the coursework and the hands-on activities is extremely important – but I think it’s going to be one of the most popular parts of the program.”
The $2.5K premium option includes an extended personal consultation and the chance to manage an adventure for several participants plus a teacher, who will then give comments and instruction.
“The aim is for the faculty member to evaluate whichever aspect is concerned with: Hey I don’t do well with improvisation or I get blocked in this kind of combat situation. Could I demonstrate a situation for you and receive input on where I excel and need improvement?” Carl said. “Perhaps they want to receive input and information on a definite universe that they’ve been developing.”
Future Plans
Input from the inaugural session will help guide upcoming academy workshops. Carl suggested that potential adjustments could include increasing consultation time, lengthening the event to a longer period, or testing alternative workshop formats.
“I expect that we host such events regularly,” Carl stated. “I truly hope to see multiple Dungeon Master Universities in a given year, in multiple places, and in multiple countries. The feedback has been overwhelmingly favorable. We're quite pleased with the results so far and I think it would be amazing to be able to conduct this in partnership with large gatherings.”
