Keith Baker along with Monte Cook Will Lead Workshops at Dungeon Master Academy

Since 2018, a specialized event organizer has been organizing deeply engaging experiences where experienced game masters manage Dungeons & Dragons games in old manors in England and at a U.S. castle resort. The comprehensive packages are especially popular among career game masters who rarely get the opportunity to actually play themselves, and they often ask for tips from the pros on topics ranging from improv and crafting riddles to handling difficult situations at the table.

In response, the organizers began developing a organized method to tackle these topics, which led to the founding of the Dungeon Master Academy. The first session is planned for the start of 2026 at an Atlanta campus.

“You can watch numerous digital guides on almost every theme and acquire valuable insights, but the philosophy was that nothing truly replaces a live, hands-on session in the company of fellow DMs, where direct communication with expert teachers and your peers who are probably in the same boat and also want to improve their skills,” explained Jason Carl.

Course Offerings and Cost Levels

Dungeon Masters can select options ranging from $995 to $2,500, according to the degree of interaction they desire with the experts. The entry-level option includes selection from four classes:

• Skill Building: Covers the basics of managing a session.
• Campaign Building: Centers on crafting long-running games.
• Worldbuilding: Highlights the crafting of environments.
• Professional Development: Designed for DMs who want to learn more about the tabletop profession.

All workshops includes eight hours of classwork split over 48 hours.

“The courses are designed so that you walk away with tangible results, increased self-assurance, and numerous applicable methods,” 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 go right back home the following week and apply in your local game.”

Expert Instructors

The majority of workshops are led by a pair of experts. Setting design is guided by an industry veteran and the creator of Eberron, both teaching the art of worldbuilding.

Industry advancement presents several experts, such as Elisa Teague, Clint McElroy, and an early professional game master. The expanded teaching staff is intended to deliver focused advice to attendees with particular aims.

“Some of them plan to create their own D&D actual play and share their stories with the world, others plan to produce and create new material,” Carl stated. “Others simply wish to ask, What's the path to be a DM at an event like D&D in a Castle? What capabilities that I need? Can anyone do it?”

Advanced Options

A $1.5K premium package provides access to a introductory event, a welcome gift pack, and a half-hour consultation appointment with an instructor. This represents the inaugural DMU session, though the organizers has previously run Castle Days during breaks between adventures at their castle events.

“You could almost run an complete event just on one-on-one meetings for expert DMs,” Carl mentioned. “It's unclear if that’s the most effective utilization of everybody’s time – I believe the formal instruction and the practical exercises is extremely important – but I suspect it’s going to be one of the most popular parts of the program.”

The $2.5K top package offers an extended personal consultation and the possibility to lead a session for several participants plus an instructor, who will then offer feedback and instruction.

“The purpose is for the instructor to evaluate whatever the DM is focused on: I struggle with improv or I encounter obstacles in certain battle scenarios. Can I run a situation for you and get feedback on my areas of proficiency and challenge?” Carl explained. “Alternatively they want to get feedback and guidance on a specific world that they’ve been building.”

Future Plans

Input from the first event will help shape future Dungeon Master University sessions. Carl said that likely modifications could include increasing consultation time, lengthening the event to three days, or trying out alternative workshop formats.

“I expect that we conduct these regularly,” Carl stated. “I really want to see multiple Dungeon Master Universities in a calendar year, in various locations, and in multiple countries. The response has been really terrific. We're quite pleased with the results so far and I feel it would be amazing to be able to conduct this in collaboration with large gatherings.”