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

Beginning in 2018, Tabletop Vacations has been organizing immersive events where professional dungeon masters run fantasy roleplaying games in ancient fortresses in Britain and at an American castle venue. The comprehensive packages are especially popular among forever DMs who seldom have the moment to actually play themselves, and they often seek advice from experts on topics ranging from improvisation and crafting riddles to dealing with tough scenarios at the table.

In response, the organizers began crafting a organized method to answer these inquiries, which led to the founding of the Dungeon Master Academy. The debut workshop is scheduled for January 2-3, 2026 at an Atlanta campus.

“You can watch countless online tutorials on almost every theme and acquire valuable insights, but the concept was that nothing truly replaces a live, hands-on session in the company of other dungeon masters, where there’s live engagement with seasoned educators and other game masters likely in comparable situations and also want to enhance their abilities,” stated Jason Carl.

Workshop Options and Cost Levels

DMs can select tiers ranging from $995 to $2,500, based on the amount of contact they desire with the experts. The base tier includes a choice of four workshops:

• Core Techniques: Covers the basics of running D&D.
• Long-Term Game Planning: Focuses around building persistent adventures.
• Universe Design: Emphasizes the art of setting design.
• Career Building: Tailored to dungeon masters who seek to understand more about the tabletop profession.

All workshops includes multiple sessions of classwork divided across two days.

“The courses are designed so that you walk away with usable skills, increased self-assurance, and many practical techniques,” Carl said. “They’re not just lectures and they’re not just static videos. These workshops that you can join, absorb insights from, and then return to your group the next week and implement in your regular session.”

Seasoned Educators

Many sessions are taught by duo of instructors. Worldbuilding is guided by the founder of Monte Cook Games and a renowned campaign designer, together instructing the craft of setting creation.

Industry advancement presents several experts, such as an author on gaming puzzles, an entertainment professional, and an early professional game master. The additional faculty is designed to offer targeted guidance to participants with specific goals.

“Various attendees want to launch their own real-play series and present their narratives with the world, some of them want to publish and develop fresh ideas,” Carl said. “Several only seek to ask, How do I get to be a DM at an event like D&D in a Castle? What are the skills that I need? Is it for everyone?”

Higher Tiers

A $1.5K gold tier includes access to a opening gathering, a starter kit, and a brief one-on-one appointment with a teacher. This represents the inaugural DMU session, though the team has previously run comparable workshops during breaks between adventures at their immersive experiences.

“One could practically host an full two days just on one-on-one meetings for expert DMs,” Carl said. “It's unclear if that’s the most effective utilization of each attendee's hours – I think the formal instruction and the lab work is extremely important – but I suspect it’s going to be one of the most popular parts of the program.”

The $2,500 platinum tier includes an extended personal consultation and the opportunity to run a game for a small group plus a teacher, who will then offer feedback and instruction.

“The goal is for the teacher to review whichever aspect is focused on: Hey I don’t do well with spontaneous decisions or I feel stuck in certain battle scenarios. Can I run a scenario for you and receive input on my areas of proficiency and challenge?” Carl said. “Alternatively they want to obtain critique and guidance on a particular setting that they’ve been building.”

Coming Developments

Feedback from the debut workshop will help determine future Dungeon Master University sessions. Carl said that potential adjustments could include adding more office hours, making it longer to 72 hours, or experimenting with alternative workshop formats.

“I expect that we conduct these very often,” Carl stated. “I truly hope to see several DMU sessions in a single year, in different cities, and in various nations. The reception has been extremely positive. We're extremely satisfied with the results so far and I feel it would be amazing to be able to organize these in collaboration with big conventions.”