Keith Baker and Keith Baker Will Lead Workshops at Dungeon Master University

Beginning in 2018, a specialized event organizer has been running deeply engaging experiences where expert DMs lead D&D games in old manors in the UK and at Landoll’s Mohican Castle. The comprehensive packages are highly favored among long-time dungeon masters who infrequently find the moment to actually play themselves, and they often seek advice from seasoned professionals on topics ranging from spontaneous storytelling and puzzle design to managing conflicts at the table.

In response, the organizers began crafting a organized method to tackle these topics, which led to the founding of DMU. The debut workshop is set for the start of 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 concept was that nothing truly replaces a live, hands-on session in the company of 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 level up their game,” noted the program's dean.

Available Classes and Pricing Tiers

Game masters can opt for options ranging from nearly a thousand dollars to two thousand five hundred dollars, based on the level of access they desire with the experts. The entry-level option includes selection from four classes:

• Foundational Skills: Focuses on the fundamentals of leading a game.
• Campaign Building: Focuses around designing extended campaigns.
• Worldbuilding: Concentrates on the development of worlds.
• Career Building: Tailored to dungeon masters who want to learn more about the roleplaying business.

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

“The classes are designed so that you walk away with tangible results, increased self-assurance, and a lot of usable tools,” Carl explained. “It's more than presentations and they exceed pre-recorded material. These are sessions that you can participate in, absorb insights from, and then return to your group the week after and apply in your regular session.”

Professional Teachers

Most classes are instructed by duo of instructors. Worldbuilding is led by an industry veteran and Keith Baker, jointly leading the craft of setting creation.

Professional development presents four different teachers, such as Elisa Teague, Clint McElroy, and Hunter Fell. The extra instructors is designed to deliver focused advice to students with specific goals.

“Certain participants want to launch their own real-play series and share their stories with the world, several want to publish and create new material,” Carl said. “Others simply wish to ask, What's the path to be a DM at a program like D&D in a Castle? What are the skills that I need? Is this achievable?”

Advanced Options

A $1.5K enhanced option includes access to a welcome reception, a introductory package, and a half-hour consultation appointment with a teacher. This constitutes the first Dungeon Master Academy, though the team has previously run comparable workshops during breaks between game sessions at their premium gatherings.

“One could practically host an complete event just on consultation sessions for professional dungeon masters,” Carl observed. “It's unclear if that’s the most effective utilization of all participants' schedule – I believe the formal instruction and the hands-on activities is too valuable – but I suspect it’s going to be among the most sought-after parts of the program.”

The $2,500 top package offers an extended personal consultation and the chance to run a game for several participants plus an instructor, who will then give comments and coaching.

“The goal is for the faculty member to evaluate whichever aspect is focused on: Hey I don’t do well with spontaneous decisions or I feel stuck in certain battle scenarios. Could I demonstrate a scenario for you and get feedback on my areas of proficiency and challenge?” Carl said. “Or maybe they want to obtain critique and information on a specific world that they’ve been building.”

Next Steps

Input from the debut workshop will help guide subsequent DMU events. Carl suggested that likely modifications could include adding more office hours, lengthening the event to 72 hours, or trying out alternative workshop formats.

“I expect that we conduct these regularly,” Carl expressed. “I would love to see numerous academy events in a given year, in multiple places, and in multiple countries. The response has been really terrific. We're quite pleased with current developments and I feel it would be fantastic to be able to do this in partnership with big conventions.”