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

Beginning in 2018, a specialized event organizer has been organizing deeply engaging experiences where professional dungeon masters lead fantasy roleplaying games in old manors in Britain and at a U.S. castle resort. These all-inclusive trips are highly favored among long-time dungeon masters who seldom have the chance to join in the game themselves, and they often ask for tips from the pros on topics ranging from improvisation and puzzle design to managing conflicts at the table.

In response, the organizers began developing a structured way to answer these inquiries, which led to the founding of the Dungeon Master Academy. The inaugural event is set for early January 2026 at an Atlanta campus.

“It's possible to view thousands of YouTube videos on almost every theme and learn quite a lot, but the philosophy was that nothing compares to face-to-face interaction alongside other dungeon masters, where real-time interaction with seasoned educators and your fellow DMs who are probably in the same boat and also want to improve their skills,” stated the program's dean.

Workshop Options and Pricing Tiers

Dungeon Masters can select tiers ranging from nearly a thousand dollars to $2.5K, based on the amount of contact they desire with the professionals. The starting package includes selection from four classes:

• Foundational Skills: Teaches the basics of running D&D.
• Campaign Building: Centers on building persistent adventures.
• Universe Design: Emphasizes the development of worlds.
• Professional Development: Designed for game masters who aim to explore more about the roleplaying business.

Every class includes eight hours of classwork split over two days.

“The courses are designed so that you leave with usable skills, increased self-assurance, and many practical techniques,” Carl said. “It's more than presentations and they’re not just static videos. These workshops that you can attend, gain knowledge from, and then go right back home the week after and apply in your local game.”

Expert Instructors

Most classes are led by a pair of experts. Setting design is guided by Monte Cook and the creator of Eberron, together instructing the skill of universe design.

Professional development presents four different teachers, such as a puzzle design specialist, a podcast co-host, and Hunter Fell. The additional faculty is intended to deliver focused advice to attendees with specific goals.

“Certain participants aim to start their own live gameplay show and present their narratives with the world, others plan to produce and write original content,” Carl said. “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?”

Advanced Options

A $1.5K enhanced option includes access to a opening gathering, a introductory package, and a half-hour consultation appointment with an instructor. This represents the debut of the program, though the company has previously run comparable workshops during breaks between campaigns at their immersive experiences.

“It would be possible to organize an complete event just on office hours for expert DMs,” Carl mentioned. “I don’t know if that’s the best use of each attendee's hours – I think the formal instruction and the hands-on activities is extremely important – but I believe it’s going to be one of the most popular parts of the program.”

The twenty-five hundred dollar top package includes an extended personal consultation and the opportunity to run a game for a small group plus a teacher, who will then provide notes and coaching.

“The purpose is for the teacher to evaluate whatever the DM is interested in: I have difficulty with improv or I encounter obstacles in certain battle scenarios. Can I run a scenario for you and get feedback on my areas of proficiency and challenge?” Carl detailed. “Perhaps they want to obtain critique and guidance on a specific world that they’ve been building.”

Future Plans

Responses from the first event will help determine subsequent DMU events. Carl said that possible changes could include expanding one-on-one sessions, making it longer to 72 hours, or trying out different seminar structures.

“I hope that we host such events regularly,” Carl expressed. “I really want to see several DMU sessions in a single year, in various locations, and in various nations. The response has been overwhelmingly favorable. We're quite pleased with current developments and I feel it would be wonderful to be able to do this in collaboration with major events.”