Keith Baker and Keith Baker Are Teaching Sessions at Dungeon Master University
Since 2018, a specialized event organizer has been organizing immersive events where expert DMs manage fantasy roleplaying games in old manors in Britain and at an American castle venue. The full-service getaways are especially popular among career game masters who seldom have the moment to participate as players themselves, and they often ask for tips from seasoned professionals on topics ranging from improv and puzzle design to dealing with tough scenarios at the table.
In response, the coordinators began designing a systematic approach to tackle these topics, which led to the establishment of DMU. The debut workshop is set for early January 2026 at Oglethorpe University.
“It's possible to view numerous digital guides on almost every theme and learn quite a lot, but the concept was that nothing truly replaces face-to-face interaction in the company of peers in game mastering, where real-time interaction with seasoned educators and your peers likely in a similar position and aim to improve their skills,” stated Jason Carl.
Available Classes and Ticket Packages
Dungeon Masters can select packages ranging from $995 to $2.5K, depending on the level of access they desire with the experts. The base tier includes a choice of four workshops:
- Foundational Skills: Focuses on the essentials of running D&D.
- Long-Term Game Planning: Centers on crafting long-running games.
- Universe Design: Emphasizes the crafting of environments.
- Professional Development: Aimed at dungeon masters who aim to explore more about the tabletop profession.
Every class includes multiple sessions of classwork spread over a weekend.
“The classes are structured so that you walk away with immediate practical outcomes, probably greater confidence, and a lot of usable tools,” Carl said. “They’re not just lectures and they exceed pre-recorded material. These classes that you can participate in, absorb insights from, and then head back to your table the week after and put into practice in your home campaign.”
Seasoned Educators
Many sessions are led by a pair of experts. Universe creation is led by Monte Cook and Keith Baker, both teaching the craft of setting creation.
Industry advancement features four different teachers, such as an author on gaming puzzles, Clint McElroy, and an early professional game master. The additional faculty is intended to provide specialized information to attendees with specific goals.
“Various attendees want to launch their own real-play series and share their stories with the world, some of them aim to release and create new material,” Carl stated. “Some just want 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?”
Higher Tiers
A fifteen hundred dollar enhanced option offers access to a welcome reception, a welcome gift pack, and a 30-minute office hour appointment with one of the faculty. This constitutes the inaugural DMU session, though the organizers has previously run similar events during breaks between campaigns at their premium gatherings.
“You could almost run an entire weekend just on one-on-one meetings for expert DMs,” Carl mentioned. “I'm not certain if that’s the best use of each attendee's hours – I think the coursework and the hands-on activities is extremely important – but I suspect it’s going to be one of the most popular parts of the program.”
The $2.5K platinum tier provides an extended personal consultation and the possibility to lead a session for five players plus one of the faculty members, who will then offer feedback and guidance.
“The goal is for the instructor to review whichever aspect is concerned with: I struggle with improvisation or I get blocked in certain battle scenarios. Can I run a scenario for you and receive input on my areas of proficiency and challenge?” Carl detailed. “Or maybe they want to get feedback and information on a definite universe that they’ve been developing.”
Next Steps
Feedback from the inaugural session will help shape upcoming academy workshops. Carl said that possible changes could include expanding one-on-one sessions, lengthening the event to 72 hours, or experimenting with different seminar structures.
“I anticipate that we do this regularly,” Carl expressed. “I really want to see numerous academy events in a given year, in different cities, and in different countries. The reception has been extremely positive. We're extremely satisfied with current developments and I think it would be wonderful to be able to conduct this in partnership with large gatherings.”
