🔗 Share this article Keith Baker along with Keith Baker Will Lead Workshops at DMU Beginning in 2018, a specialized event organizer has been hosting immersive events where professional dungeon masters lead D&D games in ancient fortresses in England and at a U.S. castle resort. The full-service getaways are widely appreciated among forever DMs who infrequently find the opportunity to participate as players themselves, and they often seek advice from the pros on topics ranging from spontaneous storytelling and creating challenges to handling difficult situations at the table. In response, the organizers began developing a structured way to answer these inquiries, which led to the founding of DMU. The inaugural event 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 philosophy was that nothing truly replaces a live, hands-on session in the company of peers in game mastering, where there’s live engagement with expert teachers and other game masters who are probably in a similar position and seek to level up their game,” noted Jason Carl. Available Classes and Pricing Tiers Game masters can opt for tiers ranging from $995 to two thousand five hundred dollars, depending on the degree of interaction they desire with the experts. The starting package includes one of four courses: Core Techniques: Teaches the fundamentals of running D&D. Campaign Building: Is dedicated to building persistent adventures. Worldbuilding: Emphasizes the art of setting design. Industry Advancement: Aimed at game masters who aim to explore more about the roleplaying business. Each course includes two days of instruction divided across 48 hours. “The classes are created so that you walk away with immediate practical outcomes, increased self-assurance, and numerous applicable methods,” Carl explained. “These aren't simple talks and they go beyond recorded content. These are sessions that you can join, gain knowledge from, and then return to your group the week after and implement in your home campaign.” Professional Teachers Most classes are led by duo of instructors. Universe creation is taught by Monte Cook and the creator of Eberron, together instructing the skill of universe design. Industry advancement presents four different teachers, such as a puzzle design specialist, a podcast co-host, and an early professional game master. The additional faculty is intended to deliver focused advice to attendees with definite objectives. “Various attendees plan to create their own real-play series and share their stories with the world, others aim to release and create new material,” Carl stated. “Others simply wish to ask, What's the path to be a DM at an event like a castle event? What are the skills that I need? Is this achievable?” Higher Tiers A $1,500 premium package offers access to a welcome reception, a welcome gift pack, and a 30-minute office hour appointment with an instructor. This marks the first Dungeon Master Academy, though the team has previously run similar events during breaks between game sessions at their immersive experiences. “One could practically host an full two days just on one-on-one meetings for expert DMs,” Carl mentioned. “I don’t know if that’s the best use of all participants' schedule – I think the formal instruction and the lab work is extremely important – but I think it’s going to be a highly favored parts of the program.” The $2,500 top package offers an hour of one-on-one time and the opportunity to manage an adventure for several participants plus an instructor, who will then provide notes and coaching. “The purpose is for the teacher to assess any element is interested in: Hey I don’t do well with spontaneous decisions or I feel stuck in specific fight encounters. May I present a scenario 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 particular setting that they’ve been building.” Future Plans Input from the debut workshop will help shape upcoming academy workshops. Carl mentioned that likely modifications could include expanding one-on-one sessions, extending the program to three days, or experimenting with alternative workshop formats. “I hope that we host such events frequently,” Carl said. “I would love to see numerous academy events in a given year, in multiple places, and in various nations. The feedback has been really terrific. We’re very happy with what we’re seeing and I believe it would be wonderful to be able to conduct this in partnership with big conventions.”
Beginning in 2018, a specialized event organizer has been hosting immersive events where professional dungeon masters lead D&D games in ancient fortresses in England and at a U.S. castle resort. The full-service getaways are widely appreciated among forever DMs who infrequently find the opportunity to participate as players themselves, and they often seek advice from the pros on topics ranging from spontaneous storytelling and creating challenges to handling difficult situations at the table. In response, the organizers began developing a structured way to answer these inquiries, which led to the founding of DMU. The inaugural event 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 philosophy was that nothing truly replaces a live, hands-on session in the company of peers in game mastering, where there’s live engagement with expert teachers and other game masters who are probably in a similar position and seek to level up their game,” noted Jason Carl. Available Classes and Pricing Tiers Game masters can opt for tiers ranging from $995 to two thousand five hundred dollars, depending on the degree of interaction they desire with the experts. The starting package includes one of four courses: Core Techniques: Teaches the fundamentals of running D&D. Campaign Building: Is dedicated to building persistent adventures. Worldbuilding: Emphasizes the art of setting design. Industry Advancement: Aimed at game masters who aim to explore more about the roleplaying business. Each course includes two days of instruction divided across 48 hours. “The classes are created so that you walk away with immediate practical outcomes, increased self-assurance, and numerous applicable methods,” Carl explained. “These aren't simple talks and they go beyond recorded content. These are sessions that you can join, gain knowledge from, and then return to your group the week after and implement in your home campaign.” Professional Teachers Most classes are led by duo of instructors. Universe creation is taught by Monte Cook and the creator of Eberron, together instructing the skill of universe design. Industry advancement presents four different teachers, such as a puzzle design specialist, a podcast co-host, and an early professional game master. The additional faculty is intended to deliver focused advice to attendees with definite objectives. “Various attendees plan to create their own real-play series and share their stories with the world, others aim to release and create new material,” Carl stated. “Others simply wish to ask, What's the path to be a DM at an event like a castle event? What are the skills that I need? Is this achievable?” Higher Tiers A $1,500 premium package offers access to a welcome reception, a welcome gift pack, and a 30-minute office hour appointment with an instructor. This marks the first Dungeon Master Academy, though the team has previously run similar events during breaks between game sessions at their immersive experiences. “One could practically host an full two days just on one-on-one meetings for expert DMs,” Carl mentioned. “I don’t know if that’s the best use of all participants' schedule – I think the formal instruction and the lab work is extremely important – but I think it’s going to be a highly favored parts of the program.” The $2,500 top package offers an hour of one-on-one time and the opportunity to manage an adventure for several participants plus an instructor, who will then provide notes and coaching. “The purpose is for the teacher to assess any element is interested in: Hey I don’t do well with spontaneous decisions or I feel stuck in specific fight encounters. May I present a scenario 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 particular setting that they’ve been building.” Future Plans Input from the debut workshop will help shape upcoming academy workshops. Carl mentioned that likely modifications could include expanding one-on-one sessions, extending the program to three days, or experimenting with alternative workshop formats. “I hope that we host such events frequently,” Carl said. “I would love to see numerous academy events in a given year, in multiple places, and in various nations. The feedback has been really terrific. We’re very happy with what we’re seeing and I believe it would be wonderful to be able to conduct this in partnership with big conventions.”