Keith Baker and Keith Baker Will Lead Sessions at DMU

Beginning in 2018, a specialized event organizer has been hosting immersive events where experienced game masters run fantasy roleplaying games in old manors in England and at a U.S. castle resort. The comprehensive packages are widely appreciated among career game masters who infrequently find the opportunity to actually play themselves, and they often seek advice from seasoned professionals on topics ranging from improvisation and puzzle design to managing conflicts at the table.

In response, the planners began developing a systematic approach to tackle these topics, which led to the establishment of the Dungeon Master Academy. The first session is planned for early January 2026 at Oglethorpe University.

“It's possible to view thousands of YouTube videos on almost every theme and gain significant knowledge, but the concept was that nothing compares to an in-person experience together with fellow DMs, where there’s live engagement with faculty instructors and your peers likely in a similar position and seek to enhance their abilities,” stated Jason Carl.

Course Offerings and Cost Levels

Game masters can choose from packages ranging from nearly a thousand dollars to two thousand five hundred dollars, based on the degree of interaction they desire with the experts. The starting package includes one of four courses:

• Core Techniques: Teaches the basics of leading a game.
• Campaign Building: Focuses around building persistent adventures.
• Worldbuilding: Emphasizes the crafting of environments.
• Career Building: Tailored to dungeon masters who aim to explore more about the tabletop profession.

Every class includes two days of instruction split over a weekend.

“The classes are created so that you leave with tangible results, increased self-assurance, and many practical techniques,” Carl said. “These aren't simple talks and they’re not just static videos. These classes that you can join, learn from, and then go right back home the week after and put into practice in your home campaign.”

Seasoned Educators

The majority of workshops are instructed by duo of instructors. Worldbuilding is led by the founder of Monte Cook Games and Keith Baker, jointly leading the skill of universe design.

Career building presents several experts, such as an author on gaming puzzles, an entertainment professional, and Hunter Fell. The expanded teaching staff is designed to offer targeted guidance to students with particular aims.

“Some of them aim to start their own real-play series and share their stories with the world, several aim to release and create new material,” Carl stated. “Several only seek to ask, How do I get to be a DM at an event like an immersive experience? What capabilities that I need? Can anyone do it?”

Advanced Options

A fifteen hundred dollar enhanced option includes access to a introductory event, a welcome gift pack, and a brief one-on-one appointment with one of the faculty. This constitutes the inaugural DMU session, though the company has previously run similar events during breaks between adventures at their immersive experiences.

“You could almost run an entire weekend just on one-on-one meetings for expert DMs,” Carl mentioned. “It's unclear if that’s the best use of all participants' schedule – I think the formal instruction and the practical exercises is highly beneficial – but I believe it’s going to be among the most sought-after parts of the program.”

The $2.5K premium option provides an extended personal consultation and the possibility to run a game for a small group plus one of the faculty members, who will then give comments and guidance.

“The goal is for the faculty member to review whatever the DM is interested in: Hey I don’t do well with improvisation or I get blocked in specific fight encounters. Could I demonstrate a scenario for you and get feedback on my areas of proficiency and challenge?” Carl detailed. “Alternatively they want to get feedback and advice on a particular setting that they’ve been creating.”

Next Steps

Input from the debut workshop will help determine future Dungeon Master University sessions. Carl mentioned that possible changes could include increasing consultation time, making it longer to 72 hours, or trying out different seminar structures.

“I hope that we conduct these frequently,” Carl expressed. “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 quite pleased with what we’re seeing and I think it would be wonderful to be able to organize these in partnership with major events.”