Keith Baker and Keith Baker Are Teaching Sessions at Dungeon Master University
Beginning in 2018, Tabletop Vacations has been hosting deeply engaging experiences where expert DMs lead D&D games in historic castles in Britain and at Landoll’s Mohican Castle. The full-service getaways are especially popular among career game masters who seldom have the moment to join in the game 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 organizers began designing a systematic approach to answer these inquiries, which led to the creation of DMU. The first session is set for early January 2026 at Oglethorpe University.
“You can watch numerous digital guides on almost every theme and gain significant knowledge, but the idea was that there’s just no substitute a live, hands-on session alongside peers in game mastering, where real-time interaction with expert teachers and your peers often in comparable situations and aim to improve their skills,” explained the program's dean.
Available Classes and Pricing Tiers
Game masters can opt for packages ranging from $995 to two thousand five hundred dollars, according to the degree of interaction they desire with the experts. The starting package includes a choice of four workshops:
- Skill Building: Covers the fundamentals of running D&D.
- Long-Term Game Planning: Is dedicated to building persistent adventures.
- Worldbuilding: Concentrates on the development of worlds.
- Career Building: Aimed at game masters who aim to explore more about the roleplaying business.
Every class includes eight hours of training spread over a weekend.
“The courses are designed so that you depart having usable skills, increased self-assurance, and a lot of usable tools,” Carl said. “These aren't simple talks and they’re not just static videos. These classes that you can join, learn from, and then head back to your table the following week and put into practice in your home campaign.”
Seasoned Educators
Most classes are led by duo of instructors. Worldbuilding is guided by Monte Cook and a renowned campaign designer, jointly leading the art of worldbuilding.
Professional development features several experts, such as a puzzle design specialist, Clint McElroy, and Hunter Fell. The extra instructors is designed to provide specialized information to attendees with specific goals.
“Certain participants want to launch their own real-play series and share their stories with the world, several want to publish and develop fresh ideas,” Carl said. “Some just want to ask, What does it take to be a DM at an event like a castle event? What capabilities that I need? Is it for everyone?”
Higher Tiers
A $1,500 enhanced option offers access to a opening gathering, a starter kit, and a half-hour consultation appointment with an instructor. This marks the debut of the program, though the team has previously run comparable workshops during breaks between campaigns at their castle events.
“It would be possible to organize an entire weekend just on one-on-one meetings for expert DMs,” Carl said. “It's unclear if that’s the best use of everybody’s time – I believe 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 top package provides an hour of one-on-one time and the opportunity to lead a session for a small group plus one of the faculty members, who will then give comments and instruction.
“The aim is for the faculty member to review whichever aspect is concerned with: Hey I don’t do well with improv or I feel stuck in certain battle scenarios. May I present a scene for you and obtain advice on my areas of proficiency and challenge?” Carl said. “Perhaps they want to obtain critique and guidance on a particular setting that they’ve been creating.”
Coming Developments
Feedback from the first event will help shape upcoming academy workshops. Carl mentioned that potential adjustments could include increasing consultation time, lengthening the event to a longer period, or experimenting with alternative workshop formats.
“I anticipate that we host such events regularly,” Carl stated. “I would love to see multiple Dungeon Master Universities in a calendar year, in different cities, and in multiple countries. The reception has been overwhelmingly favorable. We're quite pleased with current developments and I believe it would be wonderful to be able to do this in partnership with large gatherings.”